BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon
Stolen bridge parts and a love story

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Whoever stole the 24 steel and sway braces of the Amlosong Bridge in this capital town deserves to be strung up to high heavens as this has weakened the bridge, reduced its carrying capacity and put the lives of many motorists and commuters in danger.

The bridge is main link of Mountain Province to other Cordillera provinces and the Ilocos, Cagayan and Central Luzon regions. The scenic Chico River below it is a favorite site of picnickers. Three persons tagged as suspects in the theft of the bridge parts were released by authorities after the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office found no sufficient evidence to warrant their detention and filing of charges in court against them.

The stolen bridge parts were reportedly chopped into pieces and sold at a junk shop in Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya. Maybe, some of our bright cops could go there and do some sleuthing to unearth the culprits.

According to Mariano R. Alquiza, regional director of the Department of Public Works and Highways in the Cordillera, it is not only at the bridge but other parts of the province where vital bridge parts and road-safety devices have been stolen.

Thieves reportedly also took away pipes intended for completion of the Paracelis town waterworks project. The theft resulted in the delay in the implementation of the project funded by the provincial government.

Alquiza told the media the government is spending millions of pesos in purchasing materials to replace stolen parts of bridges and road-safety devices such as guard rails and “cat’s eyes.”
In the case of Amlosong, he said the DPWH is having a difficult time looking for replacement of stolen steel and sway braces of the bridge in the market because these were imported. From its original 15-ton carrying capacity, the bridge can now only accommodate vehicles weighing 10 tons.

Alquiza said the DPWH is doing its best to allow normal travel on the bridges and appealed to sectors to help cause the arrest of the bridge thieves. No beef with that, according to my bubwit, but when it comes to big time thievery, one could always find the fat rats at the DPWH.
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Speaking of roads, in the neighboring province of Ifugao, gone are the days when Tinoc town residents of the Kalanguya tribe had to reach the capital town of Lagawe by hiking lengthy trails from the town center or by hiring helicopters to ferry them to Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya.

Newsman Jeremy Gawongna reported the road connecting Tinoc and Kiangan could now be traversed buses and jeeps. Another road connecting the remote town and Hungduan had been opened but restricted to light vehicles.

The opening of roads leading to and from Tinoc was completed in 2004 through the initiative of Ifugao Gov. Teddy Baguilat Jr. so Kalanguyas could easily transport and sell their products outside the remote town.

After the completion of the road opening, the locals of the said town made use of World War 2 weapon vehicles to reach the capital town. The route from Tinoc to Kiangan is now passable by other types of vehicles and two mini-buses bound to and from Tinoc are now visible there.

Now, students from Tinoc have easier access now to the Ifugao State College of Agriculture and Forestry in Lamut. Baguilat said another impact is that natives of Tinoc now enjoy a shortened travel time to the capitol and to Cagayan Valley for their trading, marketing, and business transactions. Farmers now have two major posts to access: La Trinidad, Benguet and Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya.”

Prior to opening of the roads, the original route from the town center to Lagawe was through Benguet and Baguio. The locals said in the past, if they had official transactions in Lagawe, they had to hike from Tinoc to Bad-ayan, Buguias for two days then take the ride bound to Baguio where they could get another ride to the capital town.

Before the roads, they said they had to transport their products like leafy vegetables enduring the two-day hike.

I should know since I, along with some hardy Baguio newsmen hiked the road from Buguias to Tinoc in the mid 90s. It didn’t look like a road at that time but a river. It took some four to six hours for the group to reach Tinoc and cover the Kalanguya Congress.

This is where the beautiful love story of the late Gold Ore editor Jose Nicolas ‘Peppot” Ilagan started with a young girl then from Abra named Laarni Sibayan but that is another story.