First Casualty in Philippines’ tallest bridge

First Casualty in Philippines’ tallest bridge
SOGOD, SOUTHERN LEYTE — What was to be joyride amongst friends to visit the country’s tallest bridge quickly turned tragic as 20-year-old Lowela Agero jumped off the Agas-agas bridge and plunged to her death.

According to initial reports from her relatives Lowela Agero who is a native of Maasin City invited her friends to go to Sogod town to visit the bridge since it was reportedly one of her favorite places to visit. Little did her friends know that Agero had something else in mind as she suddenly started to distance herself from them while at the bridge.

Alarmed, her friends started to lead her away from the edge of the bridge, and then she pushed them away and suddenly jumped.

The 90-meter tall (30 stories down) Agas-Agas Bridge, the tallest in the country was opened to the public on August 8, 2009 as an essential link in connecting the Visayas and Mindanao road network.

Many Southern Leytenos who attended Aguero’s wake said that such a waste of life could have been prevented if proper safety precautions were built on the bridge.

Before the incident the provincial government of Southern Leyte and the Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce have revealed proposed plans to make the bridge and its surroundings to a extreme sports venue wherein bungee jumping and zipline rapelling would be offered to the public to help generate tourism revenue for the local government.

Many sectors now in Southern Leyte have expressed their concerns after the death of Agero on the bridge’s inadequate safety measures for the public and also the bridge’s lack of security from any terrorist attack.

Update from Bendz of Bendzg.com

The news about a Maasinhon who jumped off the Philippines’ tallest bridge, the Agas-Agas Bridge in Sogod, Southern Leyte , caused a stir on facebook yesterday as friends and family tried to check the the veracity of Lowela Agero’s death.

No one dared to post it on their facebook wall so all forms of communication regarding the subject were done through private messages and instant chat until SLT posted it in their wall as breaking news.

Lowela’s facebook account which is open to the public was immediately filled with posts from her friends who can’t believe she would end her life in her own hands.

The post entitled First Casualty in PH’s Tallest Bridge by Ruevivar “Wowie” Reyes of the Southern Leyte Times said that:

Many Southern Leytenos who attended Aguero’s wake said that such a waste of life could have been prevented if proper safety precautions were built on the bridge.

…

Many sectors now in Southern Leyte have expressed their concerns after the death of Aguero on the bridge’s inadequate safety measures for the public and also the bridge’s lack of security from any terrorist attack.

These are the comments:

KASALANAN YAN SA TAONG GUSTONG MAGPAKAMATAY. KAHIT ILANG RAILINGS PA ANG I INSTALL KONG GUSTOHIN MONG MAGPATIWAKAL JOGOGS OR TIGOKS KA TALAGA. DONT BLAME THE CONTRACTOR. BLAME THOSE WHO ARE OUT OF THEIR SANITY. KAWAWA ANG BRIDGE NAPAGBINTANGAN DAHIL SA KAGAGUHAN NG IILAN. KAILAN BA KAYO MAGISING SA KATUTUHANAN? SO ANONG BALAK NYO NGAYON? BAKIT HINDI NALANG I DEMOLISH ANG BRIDGE AT BALIK KAYO SA DATING LAND-SLIDE PRONE ROAD DADAAN? SEGURO IYON ANG BAGAY SA INYO? TOTAL SANAY NA KAYO NYAN DIBA? ~ Nexl Bienes


…next time we construct a bridge we hire engineers PLUS a team of psychologists
only in the PH
now DPWH = department of public works and highways
later DPWH = department of psychological works and highways
nyahahahahahah ~pedropenduko

it’s true. my family hails from Sogod and I visited the bridge just last year. the bridge railings are tall enough to keep people safe and bold warnings are visible even for someone with blurred vision to read. if a person has an ultimate plan to jump off that bridge and end his/her life, she will really find a way to do it regardless if you will surround the bridge with security guards or with 2 story high railings.

the concern should have been focused on the cause of such suicide, not the Agas agas ~Gigi

kalurkey naman tong article na to! hoy nagpatiwakal yon kaya bakit nyo sisisihin yong walang kamuwang-muwang na tulay. dapat inalam muna nila bakit nagpatiwakal yon, hindi yong ura-urada manisi sa tulay…kawawang tulay~kate

I too am from Southern Leyte but I do disagree on people who suggest that we build more railings. If one wishes to kill himself, he’ll really kill himself. I guess the author interviewed people who haven’t been to the bridge at all or perhaps those who would like to put a blame on something or someone when something bad happens.

Yep, lots of something on this post. And yep, I realized that I’m blogging about a post. This is not a news source folks, this is a blog. heheh

First Casualty in Philippines’ tallest bridge