MANILA, Philippines — Denying that there was a “design flaw” as alleged by President Marcos, the engineer, who designed the Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge that recently collapsed in Isabela, maintained that the design was compliant with the country’s guidelines for the construction of bridges.

In a television interview, Engr. Albert Cañete cited that his firm’s design of the bridge was in line with the specifications set by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

“In their department order, they mandated a (minimum) load limit of 27 tons for 10-wheeler (trucks),” he disclosed in reference to the specifications set in the bridge code released in 2015.

“This load limit for bridges, this is what we use in the design,” he added.

In the case of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria bridge, which has two lanes, Cañete asserted that they designed it to accommodate up to 54 tons or the equivalent of two trucks weighing 27 tons each. However, following it's collapse, the DPWH in Cagayan Valley reported that trucks weighing 102 tons caused the third span of the bridge to give way.

The design engineer declined to comment on Marcos’ earlier statement that the collapse was due to a “design flaw,” but he enthused that such statements should be based on the results of a “forensic engineering investigation.”

“I am waiting for an investigation . . . after the investigation, that’s the proper time to give a statement,” he opined.

When asked about the actual construction of the bridge, Cañete again declined to comment on the matter as he reasoned that he is not involved in the construction, including the materials used.

In ending, the engineer expressed support for amending the country’s bridge code, noting that newer trucks nowadays have higher carrying capacities.

“I recommended that when designing a bridge with a lot of trucks passing through, you should use an overload factor because the specified value is only the minimum,” he concluded.