A permanent bridge and road repair project in Barangay Luca, Balamban, Cebu, is scheduled for rebidding on Nov. 19, 2026, after an earlier bidding process failed due to a blacklisted contractor.
Gov. Pamela Baricuatro prioritized the expanded project after a video showed residents and students wading through the swollen, knee-deep Bonbon River following days of heavy rain.
Rep. Karen Garcia said the proposed P90 million bridge was excluded from the approved 2027 national budget, criticizing the budget as unfair to Cebu’s third district.
FOLLOWING images of students and residents in a mountain barangay in Balamban, Cebu, braving a raging, knee-deep river to get to school and work, Gov. Pamela Baricuatro said a permanent bridge project is scheduled for rebidding on Nov. 19, 2026.
A video recorded by Gerald John Sasing on Thursday, Oct. 15, showed students and residents wading through the muddy waters of the Bonbon River after successive days of rain caused it to swell, making crossings difficult and dangerous.
Some residents were also seen crossing the river to get to work, prompting Sasing to appeal to Baricuatro for assistance.
Project prioritized
In a statement on Friday, Oct. 16, Baricuatro said in response to Sasing’s appeal that the Provincial Government had prioritized the project following damage caused by typhoon Tino.
She said the original request was for a footbridge, but the proposed project had since been expanded to include a permanent bridge and road repairs.
“Instead of a foot bridge, the request has been to create an actual bridge and to repair the road pud diha (there),” Baricuatro said.
The project underwent bidding earlier this year, but the process failed because the winning contractor was blacklisted by the Commission on Audit (COA), Baricuatro said, adding that another bidding is scheduled for Nov. 19.
“This was already bid out early this year but failed, since the contractor that won was blacklisted by COA. But this is already scheduled for another set of bidding this Nov. 19,” she said.
While awaiting the project, Baricuatro said she had instructed the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to coordinate with the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Balamban to ensure the safety of schoolchildren and other residents crossing the river.
The governor said the Provincial Government was working with local government units to expedite the necessary measures while following the required processes.
Budget exclusion
Meanwhile, Third District Rep. Karen Garcia said the proposed construction of a bridge in Sitio Bonbon, Barangay Luca, Balamban, was not included in the 2027 national budget approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading.
In a statement on Friday, Garcia said the project had been proposed for next year with an estimated cost of P90 million, adding that its exclusion supported her criticism that the proposed 2027 national budget was unfair to residents of Cebu’s 3rd district.
“Walay tulay, walay dalan, walay buildings ug hasta pa gani ang maintenance funds para sa Transcentral Highway apil pa sa natangtang,”
Garcia said.
(No bridge, no road, no buildings, and even the maintenance funds for the Transcentral Highway were removed.) / CDF