Repair Tunggol bridge approaches now, not after it breaks

TUNGGOL,
Maguindanao (Sept. 7/NDBC) -- Residents in Datu Montawal, Maguindanao, especially
those leaving near the Tunggol Bridge, fear if government does not act quickly,
the approaches of the vital infrastructure might collapse and along with it the
areas’ economy. Regional and
provincial government officials have already raised the alarm about the sorry
condition of Tunggol Brigde, a vital connection across the man-made channel
that borders Datu Montawal and Pagalungan, all in Maguindanao.

Both Regional
Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and
Maguindanao Governor Esmael Toto Mangudadatu have vocal concerns over the
status of the bridge that connects ARMM to North Cotabato’s second district and
Davao region.

Local
residents here said they fear more than any one because they were the ones to
be directly affected.

A mother,
clutching her 3-year-old son and identify herself as Sumayra, said it would be
added cost daily for her because her children need to pay their way to school.

Tatawid ang
mga anak ko sa ilog, sasakay ng bangka, siyempre may bayad na, papunta at
pabalik (In going to and from school, my children need to take banca that
entails fare),” she said.

Village watchman
Mautin Kudang, also of Barangay Tunggol and a pump boat owner-operator, said he
had mixed reactions, that is, both happy and sad.

Happy because
he will have additional income in ferrying the passengers and, sad, because
definitely the prices of fuel and other basic commodities will rise as well,
Kudang said.

The Datu
Montawal municipal building is no stranger to floods, it being situated in a
low-lying area and about 300 meters away from Tunggol Bridge.

Kudang said if
the river overflows, the town hall will be submerged. And along with it are rice
fields and residential areas nearby.

The Tunggol
river almost overflowed few years ago and flooded rice and corn fields beside
it,” he recalled. I hope it will not happen again,” he said in the vernacular.

Another
resident, named Matalam Karim, a farmer, said he wondered why the public works agency
that started working on the concreting of Tunggol Bridge approaches suddenly
vanished.

Bigla man
nawala yong mga heavy equipment diyan sa tulay, pati contractor (Suddenly heavy
equipment and personnel working on the river banks near the bridge’s approaches
vanished, including contractors),” Karim said, adding in jest baka may
extortion (maybe there were extortionists).”

Viewed from
under the bridge, damage concrete walls due to strong water currents during
floods was awful.

When asked how
the bridge could stand another strong water current, Karim quickly saidand It
cannot stand another strong floods at all, good if only bicycles cross the bridge.”
What also bothered Karim was the water current. Elsewhere in the 60 to 80 meter wide Tunggol river, the water flow was calm. But as the water flows toward the bridge's approach and foundation, the current strengthens and tumultuous, thus quickly eroding the soft soil.He invited
passers-by and observers to stay atopTunggol Bridge while a cargo
truck passes by. Indeed the bridge was fluctuating. Looking from above, Tunggol bridge is like any other bridges in the Davao-Cotabato highway.

Tunggol
Bridge falling down is one thing I don’t want to hear or see,” Mangudadatu said
in a phone interview.

He said he
personally alerted Public Works Sec. Rogelio Singson about the bridge's sorry
state.

Equally
concern is Abdullah Sulayman Kega, a passenger van driver daily crossing the
bridge to Davao. Pag nasira yan sir, apektado kami, iikot kami sa Tacurong at
mas malaki ang gasto pero walang dagdag sa pasahe (If the bridge collapses, we
too are affected because we need to divert to Tacurong with more fuel
consumption but no fare increase),” he said.

Ronald Caumbo,
Datu Montawal municipal planning and development council, told local TV station
the soil from both sides of the river is made of what locals call Kabacan
clay, soft soil that easily carried away by rampaging waters.

Because the
river bed and river banks were made of soft clay, flood water could easily
trigger soil erosion.

He said public
works established river walls to prevent erosion but the steel columns put up
near one of the approaches were also carried away by water.

Kudang,
Sumayra, Karim and Kegas, all have one urgent appeal, that is, for the
government to act and act quickly.

We hope our
government will act now and not after the bridge will collapse, sana now na,”
Kudang, Sumayra, Karim and Kega separately said. (Edwin Fernandez)