ANGAT, Bulacan—It is a promising 2026 for villagers in an isolated barangay in this town as three major bridges that will connect them to the rest of the communities and which will open more opportunities for development will be completed in five months.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is fast-tracking the full construction of Laog-Sta. Cruz, Laog-Baybay and Laog-Banban bridges that would put an end to Barangay Laog being an isolated village for years. Baybay and Banban are two other barangays adjacent Barangay Laog.
Paterno Manayao Jr., barangay captain of Laog said the three bridges will finally unburden the close to 2,000 villagers who spend P200 worth of local tricycle fare and braving the discomfort and risk of boat ride in going to the next barangay and other villages in the town.
Laog is bounded by Angat River making it an “island,” and which isolates it from the rest of the town because of the no easy access.
“Mabilis na kaming makakapunta sa bayan, kasi sa ngayon ay kulong pa rin kami dito sa ilog, lalo na kapag malaki ang tubig,” (We can now have an easy access going to the town proper, because we are isolated, we are enclosed within a river especially when the river water is high), he told NEWSCORE Bulacan on Tuesday.
A hanging bridge along Laog and Barangay Sta. Cruz river used to provide an easy movement of the people going back and forth Laog and the rest of the town, but it has not been replaced with a new one when it was destroyed several years ago, Manayao said.
Since then, folks have to content themselves with the discomfort of riding a banca particularly the elderly and the students in going to Barangay Sta. Cruz as it require them to climb the river wall.
Laog has its own elementary school, but has no institution for secondary education.
In many occasions, the students and the elderly braved riding the bancas even during rainy days to evade a P150-P200 tricycle fare through a road with access bridge on the opposite side of the river.
But during typhoons and calamities, the river rises fast and high making any single banca unable to cross.
The municipal government of Angat built an access bridge but which has a limited capacity.
“May hanging bridge dati, pero matagal ng nasira at hindi naman napalitan. Matagal ng walang tulay, nagbabangka lang ang mga tao. Nasa kulang 2,000 ang mga residente namin dito. Lalo sa mga estudyante at matatanda na mahina ang tuhod, umaakyat sila sa river wall at posibleng madulas. Kapag may bagyo, dahil sa taas ng tubig, hindi na pwede sa ilog, wala ng bangkang pwede mag-biyahe”.
Laog’s 4,000 square meters land area form part for Angat as a major vegetable basket of Bulacan.
Manayao assured residents that in no time, the bridges will be competed. “Maghintay-hintay tayo, mayayari din iyan, konti na lang ang ating titiisin. Ang kagandahan nito, meron tayong iniintay, hind isa wala,” (Let us just wait, the project will be completed. We can see that the projects are being built, we see our bridges. It only means that we are waiting for something, that there is something to wait), the village head also said.
According to Manayao, typhoon Crising in July and the recent intermittent strong rains which caused the river to swell was a major contributory to the few months delay in the target completion.
Project Inspector for Laog-Sta. Cruz bridge Joven Erl Nepomuceno from the DPWH Bulacan Second District Engineering Offie said they are working on the Phase 2 of the project for its completion on February 5, 2026 from its original November 7, 2025 date of completion. It started on March 7 this year.
Phase 1, which is clearing and preparations for the pasage of the heavy equipment which begins construction on March 21, 2024 and which was supposed to be completed also within six months—September 27 that year was completed December of the same year. In July and August last year, typhoons Carina and Kristine also battered Luzon areas and cause Angat River to overflow.
Nepomuceno said the 96 meter, two-lane, Laog-Sta. Cruz Bridge has s high 26. 88 meters above sea level height to keep the structure and the public safe even when when the level of water in the river rises high during typhoons and calamities.
Nepomuceno told NEWSCORE Bulacan that frequent rains which caused the river to rise have caused them delays in the construction including the no access road and route for them and the construction equipment to complete the works within the target six months period.
However, he said, about seventy-eighty percent of the project has already been accomplished in time for the February completion.
Manayao expressed Laog’s gratitude to Sixth District Rep. Salvaor Pleyto who is behind the project. “For so many years, we were neglected. I was not the village head then, but I saw and continue to experience myself and witness the hardship of each and every resident here in Laog. We are isolated. It is only Congressman Pleyto who looked after our welfare and we are very thankful to him,” he said.
