
The Department of Public Works and Highways dismantled the Talave Bridge that connected Calatrava town to San Carlos City in Negros Occidental to ensure public safety, DPWH Western Visayas Regional Director Sanny Boy Oropel said on Wednesday, July 31.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) on July 16 issued a Cease-and-Desist Order (CDO) on the demolition of the Talave Bridge but by then it had already been dismantled, Oropel said.
In fact even before he assumed his post as regional director of Western Visayas the dismantling of the bridge had already started, Oropel added.
Oropel was appointed the DPWH regional director in August 2023 replacing Nerie Bueno who was promoted to DPWH Assistant Secretary.
He said negotiations were held with the NHCP in Manila this year where the DPWH sought clearance to complete the dismantling.
The DPWH asked the NHCP for its list of nationally declared historical structures, which they could not give and the bridge in question was not one of them, Oropel said.
The NHCP told the DPWH to secure a clearance from the local government unit interposing no objection to the demolition, he said.
The local government of San Carlos gave us the clearance or the certification of no objection that led to the complete dismantling of the Talave Bridge to ensure the safety of the public, Oropel said.
The old bridge that was dismantled was located downstream of the new two-lane bridge that was constructed beside it. During flooding the old bridge would be a hazard to the new one in the downstream side if it was not removed, he said.
The purpose of the new bridge is to ensure the safety of the commuters as the old one was in danger of collapsing. The new bridge was also needed to meet the increase in traffic in the area, he said.
The purpose of the local government is not really to demolish the bridge but dismantle it to relocate it for display elsewhere, Oropel said.
The 100-meter Talave steel bridge, which crosses the Talave River, was built in 1933 by the United States Steel Products Co., based on the marker installed by the builder at the foot of the bridge.
Joe Recalex Alingasa Jr., head of the San Carlos City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said San Carlos Mayor Renato Gustilo offered to provide a site for the bridge to be relocated so it could be preserved as a cultural property.*