Some roads in Cebu Province still impassable due to ‘Agaton’

SEVERAL roads in Cebu were impassable on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 after sustaining damage due to Tropical Depression Agaton (Megi).Some of the affected roads reportedly collapsed after continuous rains softened the soil underneath them.Based on the travel advisory from the Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Visayas (DPWH 7), the national highway connecting Toledo City to the municipalities of Tabuelan and San Remigio were temporarily closed to motorists after personnel of the Cebu 3rd District Engineering Office headed by Engineer Suzette Nwanaka had noticed that a large portion of the road measuring around 50 meters was covered in floodwater.The area was already cordoned off the road with empty barrels and yellow tape as a way to prevent accidents.Borbon The Cebu North Hagnaya Wharf Road in Barangay Kanlagang, Borbon town in northern Cebu was also not passable to vehicles after its slope protection had collapsed due to incessant rains.Motorists were advised to take the alternate route in Bongoyan-Tabunan-Bagacay-Managase provincial road in going to Borbon.But as of 9:40 a.m. on April 13, the DPWH 7 had announced through its Facebook page that half of the damaged road in Borbon can already be used by motorists after being fixed with the help of some residents.Borbon Mayor Noel Dotillos told SunStar Cebu that one lane of the Cebu North Hagnaya Wharf Road section in Barangay Don Gregorio has already been passable since Wednesday morning.Dotillos further revealed that a provincial road in Barangay Poblacion going to the upland was also destroyed but stressed that its one lane was already passable.He, however, advised motorists to temporarily use an alternate road located in their town’s lowlands if they want to get to Bogo City.Balamban The DPWH 7 also warned drivers not to pass through the Transcentral Highway which connects Cebu City and Balamban town since a portion of the road in Barangay Tabunan has been blocked by a landslide and an ongoing soil erosion in Barangay Babag 2.In Talisay City, local officials have reopened the Talisay-Toledo Access Road in Barangay Manipis since Tuesday, April 12, after being cleared of debris brought about by a landslide last week.Damage estimate Wilson Ramos, spokesperson of the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, told SunStar Cebu that they could not yet give the estimated damage to infrastructure since the local government units in the province, particularly in northern Cebu, have yet to complete their assessment.Ramos, however, said thThere was no reported damage to crops during the weather disturbance. (PAC, MKG / TPT)