The 7m Santo Tomas Bridge

I didn't take a photo. My blood evaporated. I've written about the Santo Tomas bridge before... being it costing about 3 million pesos (or some US$73,000). I went home recently at the wake of my uncle Ago (Santiago Palpallatoc), husband of Auntie Lita (my dad's eldest sister).

On the way home, we passed by the bridge, my first. We were on my brod Clau's bike, at about midnight, with Ivong (yes, on the above photo) sandwiched between us. "So, this is your 3m bridge?" I asked...

"7m," he corrected. "And it is a provincial bridge."

Barely a few months old, and already useless. OK, sorry. Bikes could pass through. Apparently, the rip-rapping beneath it gave way to river waters during the rainy season. So, there goes the $171,000 bridge of Santo Tomas. Being it rendered semi-useful, the barangay folks had to relocate another road, along the Barcena area (well, although one of my close relatives refused and actually protested to have me --- and maybe the others --- use clannish terms when referring to people in our barangay, it cannot be avoided. I am clannish!). At around 9 am that day, I saw a 6-wheel truckload of construction workers/laborers passing by.

"What's that?" I asked Tess, and yes, she's a Barcena, being married to one.

"The bridge workers," she replied.

If I have had resources, I could have checked on the contractor of the bridge. I might also have checked on who's project was it under, probably, under the RA 7171 (part of Erap's demise, and the milking goat of the looters of Chavit Republic) ...

So, now, I'd rather post some other infrastructure (above) which shows the solar drier, the 2-storey building of the Day Care classroom and barangay council office. At least, the project amount won't make your blood boil. BTW, in the Philippines, most projetcs take the form of infrastructure. According to one of my favorite columnists, it is where funds easily get waylaid. It seems nobody questions the amount of infra projects, as long as you're on the loot gang official list, er, on top of the situation.

But that is not the case now. Look at our honorables (lol!) former speaker Jose de Venecia, or even former police chief Panfilo Lacson raising hell on the ZTE. It ain't scam any more than they are still members of the gang. Some people just can't bear and grin it, as if.