San Juanico Bridge stopped glowing in the dark again, the second time this February.
This happened after a portion of the railings of the San Juanico Bridge was detached when a private vehicle from Basey, Samar, bound for Tacloban City figured in an accident at the Samar side of the famed bridge on Friday morning.
Three persons were hurt, 49 year-old village councilor of Amandayehan, Basey, and Samar, and 2 his passengers.
Local police in Basey town, Samar, say the vehicle, an SUV, had a steering malfunction. The driver tried stepping on the brake, but the vehicle swerved and hit several railings on the bridge.
The driver and passengers who sustained injuries were given the necessary medical intervention.
However, despite not being directly affected by the incident, the San Juanico Bridge Aesthetic Lighting Show was temporarily suspended. The Samar Provincial Government says this will give authorities time to assess the extent of damage and ensure everyone’s safety.
This is not the first time that the San Juanico Bridge has temporarily stopped its light show. Earlier this month, an unexpected electrical breakdown at the San Juanico Bridge affected a scheduled aesthetic light show. It immediately resumed after the necessary repairs were completed.
The San Juanico Bridge Aesthetic Lighting and Sound is a proponent project of the Samar provincial government, funded through an 80-million-peso outlay from the Tourism Infrastructure Enterprise Zone Authority in 2018 and inaugurated by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on October 19, 2022.
-- Report from Sharon Evite