Accidents do happen.
At home. At work. At school. And of course on the road.
They can always be avoided but there is no 100 percent guarantee that they can be thwarted.
The Marilao Bridge along North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). Two accidents happened this year. The first one took place three months ago. On June 18, the same happened. On both unfortunate events, it involved a truck hitting the underside of the bridge. The latest one involved the death of a passenger and injury on six others as the girder hit the vehicle they were on under the bridge while plying the NLEX.
This has left the NLEX Corporation (NLEXC), operator of the expressway, seemingly liable.
Not disputing observations from DOTr that NLEXC may be liable, this accident that came three months after a truck also figured in the same kind of mishap raises “enough is enough” howls.
Such a quandary now for the subsidiary of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp.
The silver lining in this gloom is that NLEXC has offered to to construct a new bridge to totally replace the old one. The offer was made even as it has no obligation to do so.
One must remember that these bridges along NLEX were built some decades ago. At a time when there were no estblished height limit for such.
The concession agreement gives the government partner only the right to operate and maintain the NLEX roadway underneath the bridge.
The Marilao bridge per se is the lookout of DPWH and the host LGU. In this case, the Province of Bulacan. It is one of the so-called “orphan bridges” that, in the course of time, may have been neglected. These overpasses and bridges were built during the time of CDCP (Construction Development Corporation of the Philippines) which later became PNCC (Philippine National Construction Corp)
The right to operate NLEX was later on turned over to a private corporation — the Manila North Tollways Corp, a Lopez subsidiary but was later sold to MVP Group which has renamed the company to NLEXC.
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Was someone sleeping on the job when this truck evaded enforcers and hit the bridge?
After the March incident, NLEXC has doubled its efforts in guarding against trucks that were iver the 4.27 meter height limit on vertical clearances.
It has apprehended over 11,000 apprehensions between March and June 20 this year. This is much improved compared to the 750 plus for the whole of 2024.
But then again accidents do happen.
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Stone throwing on vehicles plying the NLEX (and other tollroads and highways) must be stopped.
There was one recent incident carried by some Pampanga-based media. Although unnamed in the news account, the vehicle that was hit by the stone belonged to a prominent businessman in Angeles City. And the worse part is that his family was in the car — wife and kids in tow — when it happened.
Never mind the damage on the car as they can afford the repair should the insurance does not shoulder it. What comes horrowing was the risk and terror that came with the unfortunate incident. It must have been really so scary.
NLEXC, the operator of the expressway, was informed of the incident and it can only express regret over it.
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The need to curb this malfeasance reminds me of the time I was with Clark Development Corp (CDC) where the security department has had to deal with encroaching incidents along the perimeter fence of the former Clark Air Base proper, particularly along the inoperative PNR railway.
Nope, it wasnt exactly stone throwing incidents but the solution to it is comparable if not almost similar to the problem of CDC that included creating holes on the concrete perimeter fence.
In some cases, they were not mere holes but cutting a portion of the fence as huge as a door jamb. These holes were used as entry points for unauthorized activities like farming and fishing encroachments.
Asked for suggestions before by NLEXC officials handling community relations, I told them of one of the approaches of CDC back in the day.
It was keeping in touch with the barangay officials where the perimeter fence stretches over. In this case, from Dolores, Mabalacat in the north all the way to Balibago and Malabanias in Angeles City — about 10 kilometer stretch.
There was some monetary considerations in the form of honoraria too for barangay tanods who helped keep watch against puncturing the fence.
This arrangement was also covered by a Memorandum of Agreement with the LGUs.
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Am I glad that somehow this approach was emulated. But I do not claim credit for that. Not at all, lest i be regarded as “mapanako damulag” (credit grabber).
But I found out later that NLEXC
conducts Barangay Security Watch (BSW), a CSR program that aims to lessen stoning and other safety and security-related issues by raising awareness and capacitating barangay leaders. It was also in partnership with PNP.
It’s a far taller order for NLEXC as it covers 10 times double the length covered by CDC from Balintawak to Sta. Ines, Mabalacat. And that is only the NLEX. How about the SCTEX?
Imagine what it has to contend with — like stone-and-run from the overpasses, side roads and over the fences.
To help curb stone throwing, it has to secure passage of ordinances from host LGUs. It has so far managed to get that from Mabalacat City, Meycauayan City, Pulilan and Caloocan City. For SCTEX, the same support was given by the provincial government of Tarlac, the municipalities of Porac and Floridaboanca in Pampanga and municipalities of Hermosa and Dinalupihan in Bataan.
Securing ordinances is just the beginning of gargantuan tasks that also includes deployment of security personnel, dialogues and other measures to help ensure success of the CSR program.
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MARILAO BRIDGE. NLEXC and its mother company Metro Pacific Tollways Corp have found their backs against the wall again. The latest accident at the interchange led to the death of a 54-year old passenger.
That was unfortunate. That was tragic.
Not disputing observations from DOTr that NLEXC may be liable, this accident that came three months after a truck also figured in the same kind of mishap raises “enough is enough” howls.
Such a quandary now for the MPTC subsidiary. It has offered to to construct a new bridge to totally replace the old one. The offer was made even as it has no obligation to do so as their concession gives them only the right to operate and maintain the NLEX roadway underneath the bridge.
The Marilao bridge per se is the lookout of DPWH and the host LGU. In this case, the Province of Bulacan. It is one of the so-called “orphan bridges” that, in the course of time, may have been neglected. One must recall that some of these overpasses and bridges were built in during the time of CDCP (Construction Development Corporation of the Philippines) which later became Philippine National Construction Corp.
It was later on turned over to a private corporation — the Manila North Tollways Corp, a Lopez subsidiary but was later sold to MVP Group which has renamed the company to NLEXC.
Was someone sleeping on the job when this truck evaded enforcers and hit the bridge?
After the March incident, NLEXC has doubled its efforts in guarding against trucks that were iver the 4.27 meter height limit on vertical clearances.
It has apprehended over 11,000 apprehensions between March and June 20 this year. This is much improved compared to the 750 plus for the whole of 2024.
But then again accidents do happen.