CAGAYAN DE ORO (MindaNews/22 October)—The construction of a road to bypass the collapsed portion of the Bukidnon-Davao highway in Barangay Palacapao, Quezon, Bukidnon will take at least five months, according to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Vince Dizon.
Speaking to reporters at the site, Dizon said engineers may be able to build a road just beside the affected area but said soil tests need to be conducted first to determine if the site is firm enough.
Dizon said the soil tests, to be done by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), will take two months to finish.
The tests are a prerequisite before the designing of the road which will be carved on the slope not affected by the landslide.
In the meantime, the DPWH secretary ordered government engineers to make a makeshift ladder at the hillside being used by travelers to transfer to buses waiting on each side of the collapsed highway.
Because of the landslide, bus passengers bound for either Davao City or Cagayan de Oro City have had to disembark and lug their bags to waiting buses on opposite sides of the landslide.
Dizon nearly slipped on the muddy trail as he was surveying the damaged highway during his visit Tuesday, October 21.
Dizon directed DPWH-10 to finish the makeshift ladder and hand rails in one week to minimize the danger of travelers slipping and sliding along the muddy slope.
Travelers using their own vehicles have been advised to take alternative routes to either Davao City or Cagayan de Oro City. Among the routes travelers can take are the following: Cagayan de Oro-Don Carlos-Carmen-Kabacan-Davao City (345 kilometers); Cagayan-Davao City via Butuan City (447 km); Cagayan-San Fernando-Tagum-Davao City (352 km).
The Bukidnon-Davao highway is the closest between Cagayan de Oro and Davao cities at 278 kilometers.
Meanwhile, Quezon town public information officer Lyle Justine Egay said an excavator has managed to build a path to where the green tricycle of the missing elderly couple was found some 50 meters down.
Ely Ubatay and Thelma Ubatay, residents of Purok 9, Baragay Kahusayan in Kitaotao , Bukidnon, were traveling to their home on the night of October 18 when the landslide occurred.
Both have not been found as of this writing.
Egay said an additional two excavators will reach the site on Thursday and along with K9 teams, will help with the search for the couple.
“We will not give up the search for the couple and will continue to pour resources in looking for them,” Egay said. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)
