ANTIQUE – A car drove straight off the broken Paliwan Bridge that connected Laua-an and Bugasong towns in Antique around 8 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 23.
The driver was allegedly unaware that the Paliwan Bridge collapsed when Severe Tropical Storm “Paeng” hit the region in October 2022.
Residents also pointed out the lack of warning devices against such a preventable accident.
The passengers and the driver, whose names were withheld, were from Kalibo, Aklan and were going to San Jose de Buenavista, Antique. They sustained minor injuries and were brought to the nearest hospital.
On Nov. 2022, Department of Public Works and Highways – Maintenance Division officer-in-charge Oliver Zamora said the cost of construction of the new Paliwan Bridge will be over P355.8 million and will take about a year and a half.
A total of 119 infrastructure projects were damaged by the typhoon region-wide, including 41 bridges./PN
