Underscoring the administration’s drive to build livable communities, Education Secretary Sonny Angara welcomed the widening of two national highway bridges in Bangar, La Union, pointing out that the projects eliminate dangerous daily travel and prevent learners and teachers from missing classes due to bad weather.
The PHP27.8-million Luzong Sur Bridge and PHP19.5-million San Blas Bridge projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) along the Manila North Road now provide safe travel for learners and residents in northern and southern La Union.
The infrastructure breakthrough directly follows the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to protect every Filipino child’s right to a 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,” Angara 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.”
Before these critical bridge links were widened and upgraded, learners and teachers had to risk dangerous daily commutes along narrow roads during the rainy season.
Heavy downpours regularly caused severe flooding, trapping communities in waist-deep waters that disrupted school schedules and forced many frustrated learners to miss classes.
“Noon po na walang tulay sa San Blas, mahirap talaga pagpasok sa paaralan dahil masikip iyong daanan sa highway. Kapag tag-ulan naman, nag-ooverflow iyong irrigation kaya nagbabaha minsan hanggang baywang, madalas hanggang tuhod,” shared 16-year-old learner Mohammad Omar Jr., who missed school activities at Doña Francisca Lacsamana de Ortega Memorial National High School because the old highway was flooded.
High school teacher Jeffrey Sales also recalled how the old, cramped road disrupted learning. “Napakahirap po ng sitwasyon namin noon. Kapag bumabaha, naghahanap kami ng alternate route kaya nale-late kami at nagkakaroon ng pagkaantala ng klase,” he said.
Department of Education (DepEd) officials joined DPWH officials and local government leaders last Wednesday to inspect the completed infrastructure.
With the new four-lane bridges now fully open, daily travel times have been cut and road safety has vastly improved for nearby schools and commuters.
The widened San Blas and Luzong Sur Bridges also feature an improved drainage system that effectively channels heavy rainwater away from campus zones to prevent flooding.
Learners from surrounding neighborhoods can now walk and ride to school safely even during rainy weather, ensuring that their classes continue without interruption.
“Bilang magulang, malaking tulong po sa amin ang tulay dahil naitatawid namin ng safe ang aming mga anak para makapag-aral nang maayos,” said high school teacher Catherine Balbin. “Kay Pangulong Marcos, maraming salamat po sa mga proyektong ito para sa kapakanan ng mga mga mag-aaral at kaming mga guro.”
