FALSE: Media did not report on collapsed footbridge in Zamboanga City

At a glance

• Claim: Mainstream media did not report on the collapse of a bridge in Zamboanga City on April 26, 2018.
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: Multiple mainstream media outlets reported on the collapse of the footbridge.
• Why we fact-checked this: The claim was found in a post by the Facebook page “Kalokoka” on September 18, 2020. As of writing, the post has about 26,000 reactions, 6,900 comments, and 57,000 shares, and the video showing the collapsing footbridge has about 2.5 million views. 

Complete details

The mainstream media supposedly did not report on a wooden footbridge in Zamboanga City that collapsed on April 26, 2018, while some government officials, their staff, and some members of the media were walking on it.

This claim was made by the Facebook page “Kalokoka” on September 18, 2020, and included a video showing the collapse of the footbridge.

The post also said that the footbridge was a project of the administration of the late president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, and that it cost P12 million.

As of writing, the post has about 26,000 reactions, 6,900 comments, and 57,000 shares, and the video had about 2.5 million views. It was still getting interactions as of Sunday, June 27. 

The claim is false. 

Several news outlets reported on the collapse of the footbridge in Zamboanga City. They include:

• ABS-CBN News on April 26, 2018
• CNN Philippines on April 27, 2018
• GMA News on April 26, 2018
• Inquirer.net on April 26 and April 27, 2018
• InterAksyon on April 27, 2018
• Rappler on April 26, 2018
• The Manila Times on April 26, 2018

The government officials who fell into the water after the collapse of the footbridge included Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabel Climaco-Salazar, former Zamboanga City congressman Celso Lobregat, and former Negros Occidental congressman Alfredo Benitez.

During that time, they were inspecting the Zamboanga City Roadmap to Recovery and Reconstruction (Z3R) housing project on stilts for the victims of the Zamboanga City siege in 2013. 

Subsequent news reports quoted Benitez as saying that the footbridge cost P12 million, as stated in news items such as a May 3, 2018 article by ABS-CBN News, a May 3, 2018 article by Inquirer.net, a May 3, 2018 article by GMA News, and a May 4, 2018 article by Philstar.com.

Funding for the Z3R project was approved by Aquino. A Philstar.com report last updated on June 27 said that, as of June 24, the Z3R project is 80% complete. – Percival Bueser/Rappler.com

Percival Bueser is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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