The head of San Miguel Corp. issued an apology and said that he would help the victims after the freak accident at the Skyway Extension project site in Cupang, Muntinlupa over the weekend.
Ramon S. Ang, SMC president and chief operating officer said that even while project contractor EEI Corporation was the one handling the construction of the project, as project proponent, SMC has a responsibility to take care of the victims.
“Even with a contractor handling construction, ultimately, we are responsible for the welfare of those who were affected. I would like to personally apologize to the victims and their families, as well as to our larger community in Muntinlupa,” Ang said.
The accident, reported to have been caused by a crane that tipped over as it moved into position, which then hit a steel girder causing it to fall on six vehicles, resulted in one fatality and four injuries.
“This terrible and tragic accident has affected me in ways I can’t even begin to express. I have not stopped thinking about the people who were affected, the four that were injured and most especially, the person who perished, and his family. There are no words that can ease the grief of losing a loved one,” Ang said.
“To the family, I can only offer my sincerest and deepest condolences, and my personal assurance that your family will be taken care of. To those who were injured, please be assured we will provide all the means necessary for you to recover and restart,” he added.
Ang also vowed that the incident will be investigated thoroughly, and that SMC and its contractor EEI will make sure even stricter measures are in place at the project site.
“In a project of this magnitude and scale, there are many redundant safety measures in place. Unfortunately, we can’t predict every outcome, and I’m sure no one wanted this to happen,” Ang said.
“Regardless, we are working with authorities to determine the root cause of this incident. We will find out where lapses occured and do whatever is necessary to help make sure they don’t happen again,” he added.
Meanwhile, after initial assessment, this unfortunate incident sets back the completion of the Skyway Extension Project. From the December 2020 deadline, target completion is now February 2021.
The P10-billion Skyway Extension project will extend and connect Skyway to the South Luzon Expressway near Susana Heights and the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway, which nvolves the construction of a three-lane, elevated northbound section and a two-lane, elevated southbound section.
It will bypass the Alabang viaduct and increase the Skyway’s capacity by 4,500 vehicles per hour northbound, and 3,000 vehicles per hour southbound, giving motorists from Cavite, Laguna and Batangas greater ease of travel to, or from, Metro Manila.