President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the reopening of San Juanico bridge to vehicles weighing up to 12 tons before the end of the year.

In a podcast interview posted on his Facebook account, Marcos warns he will accept the resignation of government officials involved in the rehabilitation if they fail to complete the needed repair to allow the reopening of the over 50 year-old bridge to vehicles weighing up to 12 tons.

"Our schedule is that by December, before the end of the year, the vehicles weighing up to 12 tons should be allowed," he said.

"That’s a test. If you don’t finish that, I’ll accept your resignation," he added.

As he apologized for the inconvenience brought by the rehabilitation of the bridge, Marcos assures the public including transport operators and businessmen in Eastern Visayas that the government is doing its best to speed up its repair.

"I’m sorry that this happened, I know your experience, the experiences of our transport operators and businessmen. That is why I assure you that we are doing everything to immediately address this," he said.

Marcos placed the entire region of Eastern Visayas under a state of calamity for a year to "hasten the repair and rehabilitation of the San Juanico Bridge and afford the National Government, as well as the local government units (LGUs) ample latitude to utilize appropriate funds for its repair and safety upgrade."

The declaration of the state of calamity due to the impact from the load limits imposed for the rehabilitation of the 2.16-kilometer bridge, will be effective starting June 5, which will last after a year, unless lifted earlier or extended.

The declaration of state of calamity was recommended by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council due to over P300 million worth of monthly economic losses that was recorded because of the restrictions imposed in the use of the bridge since May.

The San Juanico bridge that was built and completed in 1973 serves as the only permanent link between the islands of Samar and Leyte. Robina Asido/DMS