Residents of Brgy. Sapa, Miagao would usually walk 30-minutes before reaching the town center. Farmers trudged down the mountainous terrain of Miagao just to reach the public market. Students needed to walk a great distance just to get quality education.

Sick who need immediate medical attention had to endure the pain longer since there is no health center or hospital near their barangay.

This was the scenario when the bridge connecting Brgy. Sapa to the rest of Miagao was still impassable. The bridge was made out of local kawayan. There were no reinforcements.

Many hesitated on using it since there were various reports of accidents happening there.

Saturnino Libo-on, foreman of Brgy. Sapa recalls that many locals got into various accidents while crossing the bridge. “Rako na aksidente sa taytay. May mga bata pa nga ga karadanlog kapin pa kon ga uran,” he said. (Many people got into an accident on the bridge. Children would usually slip and fall especially when it rained.)

Even though passing through the bridge would shorten their travel time by half, they would rather take the longer route than risk their lives passing through the wooden bridge. Motorcycles and bicycles could not pass through it.

Accessibility was a major problem for the residents here and with the unexpected rainfall in Miagao, the water from the mountains rushes down to the rivers causing the current to be very strong and water levels to increase.

The bridge became useless. It cannot be used anymore when the water from the river overflows.

Geremia Dela Pena, barangay secretary of Sapa, Miagao attest on how it difficult it was to pass through. “Ang mga tawo ga libot pa kay kung ga-ulan, raku gid lutak. Kon magbaha kid-anon pa namon kay naguba ang taytay. Nabudlayan pa kami kay indi kami makatabok papuli.” (If it rains, we need to go through a longer route. If there is rain, we still need to fix the bridge if there are any damaged areas. We find it very difficult because we cannot pass through and go home.)

The locals of Sapa, Miagao together with their barangay officials made it their mission to bridge the gap between their community and the town center. This goal was to provide better access and opportunities for the people residing there.

 “Ti nabudlayan gid ang mga tawo maglibot sa aragyan sa banwa. Kailangan gid ubrahan kang access parehas kang taytay para sa pag laktud kang mga tawo,” said Libo-on. (The people found it very hard to use the route leading to the town center. A bridge was needed to give access to the locals living here.)

Their interest in building a better bridge for their barangay was heard. A total of 756,000 Kalahi-CIDSS grant was given to the barangay for the construction of a steel bridge.

With the approval of the residents of Brgy. Sapa and also through the support of the LGU of Miagao, the project was implemented in the community. In December 21, 2015, the construction of the steel bridge begun and was completed on March 11, 2016.

The implementation of the project had a smooth flow of transition through the unification of the barangay and the LGU.

However, during the implementation the labourers encountered a minor setback. The river was overflowing with water when they started construction. But they were still able to carry on with construction because the workers together with the volunteers all found a way to work with the circumstance.

“Sa pagkutkot pa lang nga daan damo na tubi. Pati ako nag-ubog man ko kag mag sag-a sang tubig.” Libo-on recalled. (When we started construction there was still so much water. Even I tried to get the water from the site.)

But aside from this, the construction of the bridge was implemented without any further problems.

The spirit of bayanihan flowed in the community of Sapa, Miagao. “Wara man ko nabudlayan gid ka pangita sang tinawo kay rako man ang nagvolunteer magbulig. Damo gid nag bulig hakot kang baras kag cemento.” (I did not have any difficulty in terms of workers. Many people volunteered to carry sand and cement.)

With the efforts of everyone in the community, their bridge is now fully-functional. The residents of Sapa, Miagao are not the only ones who benefitted from this project, as well as, the neighboring barangays in upland Miagao.

Now, students are more eager to go to school. Farmers can easily transport their goods to the public market. The residents can freely go to hospitals in the town center even during emergencies. Motorcycles and bikes can now pass through.

Dela Pena stated that with the construction of the bridge, there has been a noticeable increase in people passing by and using the easier route.

Travel time from the town center to their barangay has been cut to almost half since they have a direct route.

The people now have no fear or hesitation in crossing the bridge when it rains because it is made up of heavy duty material. Accidents are less likely to happen.

“Ga pasalamat gid ako kay ginpamati-an gid ang amon nga pangamuyo na tagaan kami sang proyekto nga makabulig gid sa amon adlaw-adlaw nga pangabuhi. Subong wala na gid kami sang hadlok sa pala-abuton nga mga panahon,” Dela Pena said. (We are thankful that our prayers were heard and we were provided of a project that will help us with our everyday lives. Now we have no fears in the succeeding days to come.)

The best thing about the community of Sapa, Miagao is that the residents have taken the initiative to maintain and safeguard the bridge. Every once in a while, the barangay officials conduct an inspection to monitor on what they can do to lengthen the bridge’s life.

The locals repaint the bridge and fill in the cracks with cement to keep the bridge from being damaged. There is no hesitation from the locals to bear the scorching heat of the sun or the rain just to continue preserving the bridge.

“Gin hatag ni sa amon. Amo na ngaa selfless ang amon pagbulig kay gina palangga namon ni ang proyekto nga gin hatag sa amon kay rako gid ang nabulig ya ni sa komunidad namon,” said Dela Pena. (This was given to us. That is why we give our selfless service because we love the project that has helped so many people in our community.)

To the students who wish to get a better education, to the farmers who had difficulty in delivering their products to the market, to the residents of Brgy. Sapa, Miagao and all the neighboring communities who had difficulty reaching the town center, this project—this success is for you.

Kalahi-CIDSS did not only give Brgy. Sapa, Miagao a bridge, but they are bridging the gap in the community. Now everyone has an equal opportunity to enjoy accessibility and make their lives easier in the process. With the improvements given, may Miagao produce more excellent citizens of the country. #