ILOILO – The national road in Sitio Mat-i, Barangay Teniente Benito, Tubungan town became impassable yesterday morning.
Some 100 meters of the concrete road cracked and sank considerably as loose soil and rocks beneath it collapsed, according to Mayor Roquito Tacsagon.
The road connected Tubungan to the municipality of Leon.
For the time being, said Tacsagon, the people of Tubungan should take the alternative route to Leon – by passing through the town of Tigbauan.
It rained hard before dawn on Sunday, according to the mayor, and rainwater softened the soil under the concrete road.
Tacsagon was thankful that no vehicles or people were passing by the road when it collapsed.
The local government of Tubungan also reported small landslides in barangays Ingay and Bacan covering small portions of roads with loose soil, rocks and mud.
Tacsagon called for an emergency meeting with the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council yesterday morning address the situation.
The 1st Engineering District of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Region 6 was asked to assess the affected roads, and clear or repair those that needed clearing and repairing.
Tubungan is prone to landslides, according to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Region 6. The specific barangays at risk are Igtuble, Igpaho, Bagunanay, Nagba, Pinamacalan, Cadabdab, Navillan, Buenavista, Bacan, and Morcillas.
Tacsagon urged residents of these villages to be vigilant, most especially when it rains.
Four other Iloilo towns prone to landslides are Leon, San Joaquin, Miag-ao, and Igbaras, according to the MGB. They are all mountainous towns like Tubungan./PN
