Labor of Love: How communities in Janiuay built bridges of hope

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By Mariela Angella Oladive

For years, residents of upland barangays in Janiuay faced the daily danger of crossing rivers that could suddenly swell.

Children brought extra clothes to school, knowing they might have to swim before reaching class.

Farmers risked losing their harvests when they couldn’t bring them to market.

Families were cut off from schools, churches, and health centers whenever floods came.

But through the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan–Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, two bridge projects—the RCDG Bridge in Barangay Carigangan and the Kuyot-Calmay Hanging Footbridge in Barangay Kuyot—now stand as lasting symbols of resilience, sacrifice, and hope.

Labor of love

The Carigangan Bridge, completed in 2004, was among the earliest KALAHI-CIDSS projects in Iloilo.

National Program Manager Bernadette Mapue-Joaquin shared that at the time, funds covered only the construction materials, so residents contributed labor for free.

“It was really a labor of love. The community built it, and they were also the ones who identified the project they needed at that time,” she said in an interview during a community visit on Wednesday, Sept. 17.

For locals like 65-year-old Nanay Eli, the bridge transformed daily life.

She recalled how jeeps used to cross directly through the Magapa River, leaving the community stranded whenever it flooded.

Now, she said, travel is safer, and children no longer have to wade through dangerous waters just to reach school.

Struggles before the bridge

Longtime community volunteer Hena Epakta, who has served since 2004, also remembered the hardships before the bridge.

“It was very difficult, especially for students and farmers. During harvest time, we had to go to the neighboring barangay just to catch a ride to town and bring our products. It was also hard for our students, especially those in primary school. When it rained in the mountains, we didn’t know if the children made it home safely. Sometimes they had to cross the river by themselves, which was very dangerous,” she shared.

To cope, villagers built a makeshift bamboo-and-cable footbridge until KALAHI-CIDSS funding enabled a permanent structure.

When Typhoon Frank hit in 2008, the bridge was damaged but quickly repaired.

Epakta recalled how floodwaters swept through the area, trapping two residents—one clinging to an acacia tree, another holding on to the bamboo side of the bridge until the waters subsided.

She said the bridge has since become a lifeline for their barangay and neighboring communities where students and farmers pass every day.

Chief Tanod Arael Tuyo, who grew up near the river, shared similar memories.

As a child, he often had to wait for floodwaters to recede before heading home.

He remembered returning from Manila in 2008 to find the new bridge already in place, making it far easier for farmers to bring their products to market.

The Carigangan Bridge, valued at more than PHP 1.6 million, now benefits 168 households.

Crossing into a safer future

Another milestone came in 2019 with the completion of the Kuyot-Calmay Hanging Footbridge, which stretches across the Suage River and links several barangays, including Ubian, Yabon, Kuyot, Calmay, and Caraudan.

For teacher Ulysses Tamaño, who grew up in Barangay Calmay, the bridge ended years of uncertainty.

He recalled how, before the bridge, they sometimes had to swim home, stay overnight elsewhere, or wait for hours for the waters to subside because there was no reliable road access.

“When we went to school, we had to carry extra clothes because we would have to swim across the river and then change just so we could attend classes. Sometimes, we could not attend school for two or three days when the water was high,” he shared.

He emphasized that the bridge has made life safer and easier for families and students—not only in Calmay but also in neighboring villages.

The Kuyot-Calmay Hanging Bridge had a total project cost of PHP 4.22 million and serves more than 60 households.

Bridges of hope

The bridges in Carigangan and Kuyot-Calmay prove that progress is not measured solely in pesos spent, but in the collective effort of the hands that built them, the sweat freely given, and the hope carried with every crossing.

More than just steel, wood, and concrete, they are products of bayanihan—built by the people, for the people.

For the residents of Janiuay, these bridges are not just pathways across rivers.

They are bridges of love, resilience, and a shared future.

KALAHI-CIDSS is a poverty-alleviation program that uses a community-driven development approach, empowering residents to identify, plan, and implement projects that directly address their needs.