“Kung mag uran todo kag garagasa ang tubig, may natigana kami pirme nga kalat para amo ra kaptan ka mga studyante para indi sanda ma palis.” (Just so the students crossing the river would not be carried away by the current, they would have to hold on tight to a rope that we already prepared for times of heavy downpour that causes the strong current in the river.)

Espectacion Eiman, Barangay Captain of Igpalge, Anini-y, Antique, narrates the obstacles that the people had to go through in the past. Igpalge, a place quite far from the town proper was also very difficult to reach. Travelling to it also means steep roads, unpredictable terrains, muddy paths, and a slippery river.

The river snakes right in front the entrance to Barangay Igpalge. The slippery stones are what make it difficult to cross. More than that, the surrounding the river is a knee-length mud that makes the journey exhausting.

The muddy paths take up all the energy even before crossing the dangerous river. It can be like this with people who are paying a visit but in the case of the residents, what some deem as obstacles are everyday routine that they are already used to.

During rainy seasons, the water from the mountains creates massive flooding in the river, which in turn, makes it very difficult to cross, especially for students from neighboring barangays who would need to cross the river to reach Igpalge National High School.

“Sa suba galaktod ang mga estudyante. “Kung mag uran todo kag garagasa ang tubig, may natigana kami pirme nga kalat para amo ra kaptan ka mga studyante para indi sanda ma palis (Just so the students crossing the river would not be carried away by the current, they would have to hold on tight to a rope that we already prepared for times of heavy downpour that causes the strong current in the river),” recalls Capt.Eiman.

Crossing the river is their only way. Most of the time, students would arrive at school with half of their bodies wet.

According to Capt. Eiman, there was once a case of a student drowning while crossing the river. Since then, students would just wait for the water to subside before crossing the river. Even so, there are still some who would take the risk just to reach the school.

Transporting Igpalge’s products and goods to the market was very challenging as well.

When it is not raining, the burden of carrying their products was lessened thanks to a cart being pulled by a carabao. But when water in the river starts to rise, they would have no choice but to carry the products themselves, either on their back or on their head.

Eiman recalls how hard it was in the past for the farmers to transport their products to the town market. “Ang mga laswa, mga produkto namon sa uma, barato man lang ang pamakal. Lugi gid. Ang kita, husto lang ibayad sa pa hauling ka mga produkto pa dulhog to sa banwa.” (What we usually sell are vegetables which are already cheap. But the income is just enough to pay to the haulers who would deliver the products across the river.)

There was actually another route that residents could take to reach Igpalge, that is through Casa Viejo. Although that was another level of difficult because they would have to endure another fair distance while trudging a waist-deep mud. Casa Viejo was just one of the route choices but could never be an option for the residents.

All of these are not because people of Igpalge are ignorant of change and modernization but it is just because they do not have a choice even when they want to give solutions to their problems. Igpalge is too far to be a subject of some local projects. For some time, the people just became contented and deem everyday’s travel as a challenge they need to overcome to reach the other end of the rainbow. And they did.

Through the efforts of the barangay officials, as well as the approval and support of the residents, Igpalge pushed through with a Kalahi-CIDSS funded hanging steel bridge.
Implementing the project was never easy for there were challenges before the completion of the project. With the condition of the roads going to Igpalge and the river before the barangay proper, it became difficult for the contractor to bring the materials to the site.

Through the cooperation and volunteerism of the residents of Igpalge, the task became lighter.

“Nag-ugyon gid ang mga tawo. Kung may kulang nga obra, ginadagyawan gid ka mga pumuluyo para lang matapos (Everyone really helped in whatever they can just to complete the project. Many are willing to extend extra effort just to help in finishing the tasks),” says Capt. Eiman.
The project became successful because of everyone’s support and willingness to help. Upon the completion of the steel hanging bridge, improvement and progress in Barangay Igpalge became very evident. In fact, there are already motorcycle owners and drivers in the barangay. Not only that they were able to find a source of income but they were also able to help the vendors and farmers for easier transport of products and goods.

“Ang pinakabahul nga nabulig, tawhay ron ang pagtabok kang mga gapamaligya. Kauna, maagi pa sa suba nga gab aha. Tulad, pwede ron kaagi ang habal-habal (The biggest help for the residents who sell products was the easy transport. In the past, they needed to cross a river first but now, they can just rest easy because even habal-habal’s can come across),” says John Lester Gregorio, a habal-habal driver from the nearby Barangay Milagrosa.
For the students, they can now go to school with uniforms splattered by mud no more. The attendance of those from neighboring barangays also improved since they not need to worry about crossing a flooded river.

In majority, the hanging bridge project by Kalahi-CIDSS in Barangay Igpalge was really beneficial to the whole community. Not only it was able to help solve the problem of the students and vendors, but also helped the whole community to improve and be closer to progress. #dswd/kalahi-cidss).