Typhoon Santi (Mirinae) destroys Batangas City bridge

http://thedigitizer.wordpress.com
Typhoon Santi (Mirinae) washed away the 37-year-old, 20-ton-capacity steel Bridge of Promise at 7:30 a.m. today, when the Signal #3 typhoon was leaving Batangas City. A family in their white Honda Civic was crossing the bridge on their way home when it actually collapsed and plunged into the murky Calumpang river. One of the three passengers, Malou Soriano, 39, a Provincial health worker, was rescued a few hundred meters downstream and was brought to Saint Patricks Hospital in downtown Batangas City. As of this writing, search and rescue is still on-going for her husband, Romulo, 40, and her son, Nicolo, 3.

When I went to the site, the trusses appear to be intact hinting at the questionable structural integrity of the weakened bridge piers in the middle of the span which witnesses saw were the first to succumb to the raging water. One driver told me that he felt the weird shaking of the weakened bridge yesterday before the storms onslaught prompting him to drive faster across the bridge for fear it would give in. I saw a Coast Guard rubber boat plying the river once downstream and twice upstream when I was there for about an hour. No frogmen/divers in sight, neither were there any frantic rescuers. Only curious onlookers, mostly with their camphones, a guy with Official Photographer emblazoned on his shirt, and other rubbernecks. Talks were aplenty about premonitions, hindsights, and how corrupt politicians and disasters dont go together. I asked if anyone saw the Mayor (Eddie Dimacuha). None in the crowd could answer me. How long do you think they (the government) could rebuild this? I asked a couple of guys next to me. If not for Shell (which uses this bridge to transport their crude and refined oil), this bridge would not have been built, the guy in white shirt retorted. I disagreed. Its election time, duh.

We are a nation of resilient people. But the worst disaster that we have yet to recover from is corruption. We didnt need Ondoy, Pepeng and Santi to know this.

I pray for Malous recovery and Romulos and Nicolos rescue. I pray for our enlightenment.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• santi
• mirinae
• batangas
• philippines
• typhoon
• Bridge
• of
• Promise
• disaster

[hanz13th]

kung siguro around 10am to nangyari ang daming kasama, bukas na kasi SM...

nakita na po ba ang mga nawawala?

condolence po sa soriano family

[TheDigitizerWP]

they found nicolo's body in tingloy, a distance of about 25 km from the collapsed bridge. romulo is still missing. please check my blog on the info box for more details...

[syoktongdrinker]

saan na kaya padadaanin yung mga tanker ng shell? sa capumpang bridge? magta-trapik lagi dun araw-araw

[TheDigitizerWP]

balita ko baka taysan na or someplace else. pag sa calumpang bridge eh tiyak maglalakad na ang mga tao dahil sa traffic.

[mitch1911]

Eto ba yung bridge papuntang SM?!

[TheDigitizerWP]

yes, kung manggagaling ka from kumintang (not the downtown area).

[delicasworldwide]

Sa mga bajao na tumulong sa amin sa search operation halos 2 araw naming ginalugad ang Calumpang hanggang sa me bukana ng dagat ,,,sa APAT na bajao sa pamumuno ni OMAL na walang tigil sa pag sisid at sa nakakita ke malou na si mang bestre na taga Brgy Malitam na siyang nag informed sa mga Bajao (Karsani Bartapa) habang dinadala ng agos si malou .Salamat po.

[kirkyboipopo]

Ipagdasal na lang natin ang kaluluwa nilang dalawa...

[kenjie66]

damn!!! totoo nga pla hehe kla ko joke lng ni tita hehe

[kimababo]

hindi pa ba ginagawa ito??

[iluvrey4ever]

buti na lang, hindi gabi nangyari, kundi baka mas marami pang nasawi. notice that it has no steel reinforcement? sometimes i used to take the long way via this vridge going to sm because i like the scenery./ thank God, sinimulan nang gawin. i just wonder if gagawin agad if not for "pressure" from SM

[bhongvillaluna]

salamat din sa BREA, batangas rescue and emergency assistance team, the unsung heroes of batangas, na tumulong ng walang hinihinging kapalit! god bless sa pamilya,

[naodin]

220 po bng nsa 30mters ang lalim nyan sa gitna?

kng gnun po, bka mtagalan ang pag gwa ng pundasyon nya... T_T

hayz...

Rest in Peace po sa mg ama..

Godbless nman po kay mrs..

kay God lng tau mkka asa sa mga gnitong klamidad...

[anyoneder]

hindi ko kilala personally ang mga namatay at ang asawa, pero kilala ko very well si paring Ansing and mering Asyon and Sally, isa kanyang mga anak at ako at ang buo kung pamilya ay lubos na nakikidalamhati sa trhedyang ito na dumagok sa kanila. May the good Lord be with them and streignthen them.

[anyoneder]

ang mga bajao na ito deserved to be called HEROES. mabuhay at sanaý mawala na ang descrimination. let´s treat them equally not as minority.