Copyright tribune
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is working round the clock to clear and repair 16 national road sections that remain impassable as of noon on Saturday, following the combined onslaught of the Southwest Monsoon and Tropical Cyclones Mirasol, Nando, and Opong. Another 10 road sections have been reported with limited access.DPWH Quick Response Teams across the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and Regions 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8 have been mobilized to conduct clearing and restoration operations on the affected roads. These include critical areas in Apayao, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Cagayan, Isabela, Masbate, Antique, Biliran, and Leyte.Among the hardest-hit routes are the Apayao-Ilocos Norte Road, which remains flooded near the Annaran Bridge construction site; the Baguio-Itogon Road and Abatan-Mankayan-Cervantes Road in Benguet, blocked by soil collapse; and the Iloilo-Antique Road in Sebaste, Antique, where a scoured bridge abutment disrupted traffic. In Eastern Visayas, multiple bridges in Biliran and Leyte have sustained heavy damage due to debris and soil collapse.Meanwhile, 10 other road sections are only partially passable, with restrictions ranging from light-vehicle-only access to heavy-vehicle-only passage. These include Kennon Road in Benguet, parts of Dagupan City in Pangasinan due to widespread flooding, and several road networks in Masbate where fallen trees, electrical posts, and road obstructions continue to hamper travel.The DPWH assured the public that its teams are conducting continuous clearing, debris removal, and emergency repairs to restore normal road access at the earliest possible time.
