Jovita Ganongan, DOT-Cordillera director, issued a travel advisory that currently it is not safe for motorist tourists to go to Banaue where some homes have been severely damaged and landslides block the main road.
It advised tourists to postpone going to Banaue and other areas in Ifugao while the weather is still bad or it continues to rain.
Banaue is a well-known foreign and local tourist destination due to its beautiful rice terraces and cold climate.
On Thursday afternoon at the height of the heavy downpour in the region caused by the southwest monsoon, residents of Banaue were startled by the sudden rush of water mixed with mud that flowed on the main road.
Gov. Jerry Dalipog, personnel of the Provincial Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Council, and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Ifugao conducted an inspection Friday morning, July 8, in areas damaged by the massive flashflood.
Ifugao Provincial Police Office personnel, residents, and volunteers are also conducting clearing operations on roads and areas where landslide occurred.
Initial report from the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Cordillera said the flashflood affected six out of the 18 barangays in Banaue – Amganad, Poblacion, Tam-an, Viewpoint, Bocos, and Poitan.
Three persons were reported injured while 19 families were evacuated to the Banaue Gym. Food and water are being provided to 152 people who were stranded during flashfloods in Barangay Tam-an and Amganad.
No one has been reported killed in the flashflood while the damaged households are being assessed.
DPWH-Ifuagao reported that as of 9:17 a.m. July 8, the Banaue-Hungduan Road-Barangay Gohang, Banaue is closed to traffic due to series of landslides and slope collapse; the Poblacion Banaue-Hingyon boundary in Barangay Amganad, Banaue is passable; the Poblacion Banaue-Mayoyao boundary is passable to any type of vehicle; the Poblacion Banaue-Mount Polis boundary is also passable; and the Lagawe-Hingyon boundary to Hingyon-Banaue boundary national road is also passable.