• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
A heritage advocate filed complaints on August 15 against an official of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), over the controversial demolition of the 92-year-old Talave Bridge in the town of Calatrava, Negros Occidental.
The Juan Calatrava Movement leader, Jose Roberto Andoni Valencia from Bacolod City lodged complaints with the Office of the Ombudsman, accusing DPWH Assistant Secretary Nerie Bueno of grave abuse of discretion and betrayal of public trust.
The Ombudsman Visayas has ordered an investigation into the matter, after the DPWH under Bueno’s authority, approved the demolition alongside the construction of a new concrete bridge.
The complaint stated that the nearly century-old Talave Bridge, built in 1933, has been recognized as a cultural property under the National Cultural Heritage Act, citing the illegality of the demolition.
The complaint will be assigned to an investigating officer, as the investigation is underway.
The Talave Bridge, once a vital link between San Carlos City’s Barangay Punao and Calatrava’s Barangay Refugio, was demolished despite a cease-and-desist order issued by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) dated July 16, 2024.
“The NHCP’s authority was ignored, and a piece of our national heritage was destroyed without due process. This is not just negligence — it is a betrayal of public trust,” Valencia said, citing that the demolition disregarded heritage laws requiring NHCP clearance for structures over 50 years old.
The demolition of the bridge started in August 2023 and was completed in June this year, DPWH in Western Visayas Regional Director Engineer Sanny Boy Oropel said, citing that the NHCP and the complainants acted late.
The Talave Bridge, built by the United States Steel Products Company, was not only a vital infrastructure for northern Negros but also a symbol of pre-war engineering and economic history, served as a major transport route for sugar during the American colonial period.
Advocates are calling the concerned agencies to reconstruct the original form of the heritage bridge and to enforce stricter heritage protection laws to avoid similar incidents from happening.*
