ASSURANCE. Department of Public Works and Highways regional director Khadaffy Tanggol on Thursday (Aug. 3, 2023) said that only seven of the more than 110 road lines that closed due to landslides, road cuts, road slips, washed-out, and caving-in have not yet fully opened. He said efforts to make them passable will continue. (Screen grab from DPWH-CAR FB)
BAGUIO CITY – Only seven of the more than 110 road routes that closed due to landslides, road cuts, road slips, washed-out, and caving-in have yet to fully open, even as the Department of Public Works and Highways in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DPWH-CAR) assured the public of its continuing efforts to make these thoroughfares passable as soon as possible.
“Tuluy-tuloy ang clearing operation natin para mabuksan ang mga natitirang sarado pa na mga kalsada at ibalik sa normal traffic and lahat ng daanan sa CAR (Clearing operations are continuing to fully open all those that are not yet passable and bring traffic back to normal),” said Khadaffy Tanggol, regional director of the DPWH-CAR, in a phone interview on Thursday.
At the height of Super Typhoon Egay, 111 roads were reported as not passable or with only one lane passable, according to the Cordillera Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CRDDMC).
Among the roads that were closed were the Abra-Kalinga and Abra-Ilocos Norte roads in Abra due to a slope collapse; the Apayao-Ilocos Norte, Claveria-Calanasan-Kabugao, and Apayao-Ilocos Norte roads in Apayao due to a soil collapse, road slip, and a washed-out bridge approach.
Also closed were the Dantay-Sagada road, and the area of the Mt. Data Cliff along the Baguio-Bontoc Road in Mountain Province.
“We are doing our best to open the roads. Hindi madali dahil kabundukan, kapag nagalaw, hindi basta-basta naaalis ang naka bara dahil patuloy na may nahuhulog na lupa at mga bato (we are a mountain region and it is not simple to remove a blockade with soil and rock continuing to roll and slide as they are removed). We assure the public that we are working to open all the roads,” Tanggol said.
He said that heavy equipment from the national government, local government units, and private contractors have already been mobilized to help continuously make roads passable to prevent a delay in the delivery of goods and services.
Egay brought torrential rains in Luzon, with Typhoon Falcon also enhancing the southwest monsoon, causing intermittent heavy rains in the region.
Tanggol said damage on roads, bridges, and flood control infrastructures due to Egay has been estimated at PHP2.47 billion.
Tanggol said they estimate that the restoration of damaged infrastructure under the care and management of the DPWH-CAR will cost around PHP3.4 billion. (PNA)
