TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines – Philippine President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III (Pnoy) revisits the City of Tagbilaran in Bohol province, this country, to personally examine the repaired bridges after said province was hit by magnitude-7.2 earthquake last October 15.
Upon his arrival, the Chief Executive presided over a meeting attended by Cabinet Secretaries, Bohol Governor Edgar M. Chatto and officials of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and other local officials at the Cafe Dolores, Bohol Tropics Resort Club, Graham Avenue in Tagbilaran City.
Joining the President during the meeting were Defense Secretary and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Chairman Voltaire T. Gazmin, Public Works and Highways Secretary Secretary Rogelio Singson, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petilla, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, Health Secretary Enrique Ona, Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas, among others.
President Aquino was briefed on the progress of the rehabilitation efforts for Bohol.
At around 2 p.m., the President went to the municipality of Alburquerque where he inspected the Tagbuane Bridge that was damaged by the strong earthquake.
The bridge, with 39.624 -meter length, was declared impassable after the earthquake, prompting the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) to provide bridging equipment intended for the temporary steel bridge.
The infrastructure works on the Tagbuane Bridge started on October 28. The bridge became passable on November 3.
The DPWH decided to install temporary steel bridges on the sites of the collapsed structures. The building of temporary bridges would take three to four weeks while the permanent bridges would take time.
Restoring the damaged roads would also take weeks, officials said.
After inspecting the Tagbuane Bridge, the President proceeded to Maribojoc town to inspect the Abatan Bridge
The President’s visit was his third to Bohol province since the October 15 earthquake. With reports from Leo David
