ILOILO City – It was a scene straight out of a post-apocalyptic movie – people getting down from stranded vehicles, walking long stretches of the highway and scaling the defective Ungka flyover to get to their intended destinations.
Yesterday’s early morning rush hour in Barangay Ungka II, Pavia, Iloilo and in Barangay Ungka, Jaro district was almost dystopian.
They didn’t want to be late. This was the common grumble of the walking horde that lost their patience to the traffic congestion that stretched several kilometers – at one point distending from Barangay Aganan, Pavia on one end to Barangay Ungka, Jaro on the other end.
The traffic jam lasted for nearly three hours and wasted people’s time – from 6 a.m. to around 8:30 a.m.
The culprit – the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) unannounced closure of a road being widened (on the Christ the King Memorial Park side, approaching the Ungka flyover in Barangay Ungka, Jaro).
Determined not to be late for work, school classes or appointments, desperate commuters took down the barriers blocking the flyover’s approaches and walked straight through it like they would on an overpass.
The flyover was nearly half a kilometer long.
Among the “walkers” were cousins Erica FamieL Sustiverio and Eloisa Susteverio of Barangay Ungka I, Pavia – both students of Central Philippine University in Jaro. Panay News chanced upon the two catching their breath and sweating in the sun.
Erica said they left home around 7 a.m. since their classes begin at 9 a.m., but they struggled to get on a jeepney from Barangay Aganan, Pavia.
After being able to ride an Iloilo City-bound jeepney, they were stuck for over 30 minutes in Barangay Ungka I, Pavia so they decided to walk the rest of the highway to GT Mall where one end of the Ungka flyover rests.
However, upon reaching the mall, no city loop jeepneys were available.
“Kay wala sang dyip, wala kami choice, naglakat kami,” she said.
Erica added, “I think the most immediate solution is kay-uhon na gid ‘ni, but we don’t have the power man to do that, pero naga-raise kami awareness as students nga makita ta man kon ano kabudlay sang naagyan namon kag [of the] working people, so we really hope ma-solusyonan.“
Eloisa, on the other hand, said they were aware of the traffic congestion, so they left early. However, she did not expect it to be that much heavy yesterday.
“Wala kami sang choice kay bisan ano namon kaaga maghalin sa balay kon ang dalan guba, indi man kami puede kalupad pakadto sa school,” she said.
Sharing the same experience was Ricardo Pagunsan of Cabatuan, Iloilo. He was with his child and was going to the downtown area.
“Grabe ang traffic, indi gid ma-agwanta. Tani kay-uhon nila ang traffic kay sa pila ka adlaw ma-eskwela naman ang akon bata diri sa city,” Pagunsan said.
Another commuter, Jennevy Atanacio from Barangay Tanza Bonifacio, City Proper, said the traffic was a major inconvenience.
Atanacio was seen by Panay News head-carrying a big plastic bag while walking up the Ungka flyover.
“Mabudlay gid ang sitwasyon ko kay may dala ako nga isa ka plastic nga bayo. Ti, lakton ko ‘ni halin sa GT Mall pakadto sa Christ the King kay didto ang dyep,” said the exasperated Atanacio said.
She urged DPWH and project contractor International Builders Corporation (IBC) to expedite fixing the Ungka flyover.
“Hoy, anha ninyo man ‘ni hu para indi mabudlayan ang mga tawo kay may mga estudyante nga nagreklamo nga indi na sila kasulod sang temprano kay malakat pa sila,” exclaimed Atanacio.
Evelyn Sotacio of Santa Barbara, Iloilo echoed the same sentiment. She was supposed to go to the West Visayas State University Medical Center in Jaro to visit a sick relative.
Sotacio said the defective flyover has done nothing but worsen traffic in the area.
Rey Padrones of Santa Barbara also said he had been stuck in traffic for more than 30 minutes before deciding to get off the jeepney and walk.
“Ang traffic ‘guro nga naabtan namon mga 30 minutes, didto pa lang sa atubang sang IBC office, pero ano man ‘bi ang mahimu ta kundi maglakat para makaabot sa aton kaladtoan,” he said.
Commuter Rodoflo Flojo of Calinog, Iloilo also said, “Mahulat kita diri sang dyep, ti, basi maabtan kita sang siam-siam.”
Although Flojo considered the unexpected walking fiasco an exercise, he hoped the Ungka flyover would be open to motorists as soon as possible to avoid these instances.
ROAD CLOSURE WORSENS UNGKA TRAFFIC
The road closure was originally scheduled from Feb. 4 to Feb. 5 to give room for road widening beneath the Ungka flyover.
Jeck Conlu, head of Iloilo City’s Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO), said the civil works were entrusted by the DPWH to IBC. However, the job was not completed by Sunday, and thus had to be extended until Monday morning.
“Ang amon istorya dapat asta lang kagab-i (Sunday night) that is why based sa amon advisory sa public, two days nga closed sa traffic ang lane diri. Wala nila siguro mahingagaw that is why subong nga aga (Monday) gin-continue. Pero ginplastar naton sa ila nga indi puede subong nga aga kay rush hour gid and Monday,” Conlu said in an interview with Panay News.
Motorists from Iloilo City had to squeeze into the opposite lane – the one used by those from Pavia going to the city – until reaching the Shell Gasoline Station where they can again use the original lane. Those from Pavia were redirected to the Circumferential Road 1 to use the old railway road going to the Iloilo Terminal and General Services Inc. (ITGSI).
Due to the slow traffic movement, vehicles piled up at the Ungka flyover and extended to even Barangay Aganan in Pavia.
Commuters opted to take a stop at the GT Mall and use the flyover instead to walk to the other end or until they reached the Christ the King Memorial Park area, where they can then ride city loop jeepneys going to the city.
Because of this, the PSTMO and the Pavia traffic management requested that IBC and DPWH temporarily put a halt to their civil works and open the road.
“Amo ina nga ginpa-untat ta ang civil works para makaginhawa ang aton city kag makaginhawa man ang Pavia area, both sides. Kay ti ang tanan nagadali nga makasulod sa ila obra kag sa ila eskwela. So didto nga na-clear na kag naghubas na gid man ang laba sang traffic,” added Conlu.
He, however, said the PSTMO cannot assure the public that this won’t happen again./PN
