By Melvin C. Gascon
Mayor Miguel Decena Jr. of Enrile town in Cagayan on Sunday (Sept. 13) disputed the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) claims that the infamous Tuguegarao-Enrile Bypass and Diversion Road project underwent prior consultation with the local government unit.
In a Facebook post, Decena said DPWH began construction without proper consultation and environmental clearance and despite repeated objections from local leaders.
“Public hearings must be conducted before any project breaks ground. In this case, DPWH called a consultation only after construction was underway,” Decena said.
Decena issued the statement to counter the DPWH-Region 2’s official explanation, posted on the Facebook page of Cagayan 3rd District Rep. Jojo Lara, which asserted that the project was carried out in accordance with requirements.
Third bridge crossing Cagayan River
The Tuguegarao-Enrile bridge is envisioned to be the third major crossing over the Cagayan River, linking Tuguegarao City to neighboring towns.
The project starts at Barangay Gosi Norte in Tuguegarao and connects to Barangay Alibago in Enrile.
Like the ongoing Tuguegarao-Solana Bridge, it will serve as part of a larger bypass road network to ease traffic congestion in the city.
The Tuguegarao-Enrile diversion road, part of the DPWH’s Network Development Program, is an 8-kilometer alternate route supposedly intended to ease traffic at Buntun Bridge.
Phase 1, completed in December 2023 with a P91.4-million budget, included a 620-meter road opening and the overpass bridge, though the structure remains closed due to unfinished approaches.
Lara was quoted in news reports that the new bridge will be the shortest span across the river at just over 700 meters, compared to the more than one-kilometer length of the Tuguegarao-Solana Bridge and the existing Buntun Bridge.
Consultation after construction?
The diversion road, part of the DPWH’s Network Development Program, is a proposed 8-kilometer alternate route from Enrile to Tuguegarao, intended to ease traffic at Buntun Bridge.
Data showed that the project Phase 1, completed in December 2023 with a P91.4-million budget, included a 620-meter “road opening” and the 20-meter overpass bridge, though the structure remains closed due to unfinished approaches.
According to the DPWH, the project supposedly secured an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) and conducted consultations.
It also supposedly conducted public consultation with Tuguegarao and Enrile officials on March 9, 2023.
But Decena disputed this, saying earthworks had already started in March 2022 — one year earlier — making the consultation non-compliant with legal requirements.
ECC timeline questioned
The DPWH also cited the ECC, supposedly issued on Aug. 31, 2023, as proof of compliance.
But Decena pointed to the project billboard, which listed Jan. 21, 2023 as the project completion date.
“How can a project be deemed compliant if the ECC was granted months after the supposed completion? This timeline simply does not add up,” the mayor said.
Objections Ignored
Decena said that his office had formally opposed the project as early as Feb. 24, 2022, through a letter to DPWH acting 3rd District Mariano Malupeng.
“Our refusal to endorse the project was ignored. Our concerns were brushed aside,” the mayor said.
Enrile residents have since labeled the unused diversion road project as another costly “bridge-to-nowhere.”
Retaining wall collapse
Last year, the unused diversion road drew public scrutiny after the collapse of a retaining wall of the approaches of what was supposed to be a bridge in Barangay Alibago.
The DPWH blamed the collapse on heavy rains, recent typhoons, and an earthquake, but assured that the integrity of the 20-meter overpass bridge was not compromised.
The DPWH said the collapse was linked to embankment saturation caused by the absence of a concrete pavement and other structures, which are slated for funding in 2025.
Locals raise concerns
According to residents, the unfinished bridge approaches have collapsed in some areas and blocked the flow of runoff water that used to flush out into the Cagayan River, aggravating flooding in Enrile.
They also questioned what they called the “wastage” of public funds in building approaches without immediately constructing the bridge itself, which could have provided direct benefits to the community.
Call for Accountability
For Decena, the collapse and residents’ complaints underscore what he described as the “hasty and poorly coordinated” implementation of the diversion road.
“The facts show that consultation was done after construction, the ECC was secured long after the supposed completion, and now we are seeing structural failures even before the project is fully opened,” he said. #