Education Secretary Sonny Angara welcomed the expansion of bridges in the national highway in Bangar, La Union.
According to Angara, the project puts an end to the dangerous daily trip made by students and teachers in the area.
The project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the Luzong Sur Bridge spent P27.8 million, while the San Blas Bridge spent P19.5 million giving La Union students and residents a safe commute.
The infrastructure project is in response to the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to protect the right of every Filipino child to safe, quality and easily-accessible education.
“Malinaw ang direksyon ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos na palawakin ang access sa dekalidad na edukasyon at tiyaking ligtas ang ating mga bata,” the education chief said.
“Through these bridges, we are not just engineering concrete structures, but we are actively building a safer, more resilient path for our learners to reach their schools and fulfill their dreams,” the education head added.
Before the expansion and restoration of the bridge, students and teachers had to take the dangerous commute using the narrow road when it rains. Heavy rains would bring flooding that reaches waist-high, trapping communities and forcing students to be absent in class.
“Kapag tag-ulan naman, nag-ooverflow iyong irrigation kaya nagbabaha minsan hanggang baywang, madalas hanggang tuhod.”
“Noon po na walang tulay sa San Blas, mahirap talaga pagpasok sa paaralan dahil masikip ‘yung daanan sa highway. Kapag tag-ulan naman, nag-ooverflow iyong irrigation kaya nagbabaha minsan hanggang baywang, madalas hanggang tuhod,” 16-year-old student Mohammad Omar Jr. said, a student of Doña Francisca Lacsamana de Ortega Memorial National High School.
Jeffrey Sales also remembered the difficulty using the narrow road.
“Napakahirap po ng sitwasyon namin noon. Kapag bumabaha, naghahanap kami ng alternate route kaya nale-late kami at nagkakaroon ng pagkaantala ng klase,” Sales said.
Officials of the Department of Education (DepEd), DPWH, and the local government unit recently inspected the projects.
With the four-lane bridge now open to the public, daily trips have been easier and safer. The expanded San Blas Bridge has an improved drainage system to effectively divert rainwater away from schools to prevent flooding.
Students can now safely walk and commute going to schools even if it is raining.
“Bilang magulang, malaking tulong po sa amin ang tulay dahil naitatawid namin ng safe ang aming mga anak para makapag-aral nang maayos.”
“Bilang magulang, malaking tulong po sa amin ang tulay dahil naitatawid namin ng safe ang aming mga anak para makapag-aral nang maayos,” said Catherine Balbin, a high school teacher.
“Kay Pangulong Marcos, maraming salamat po sa mga proyektong ito para sa kapakanan ng mga mga mag-aaral at kaming mga guro,” Balbin concluded.
