The cost of damage wrought by the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Northern Luzon is now almost P400 million, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said on Friday, July 29.
Quoting initial assessment report as of 6 a.m. Friday, DPWH Sec. Manuel M. Bonoan said breakdown on damage cover the P104.53 million on national roads and P292.05 million on national bridges in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region and the Cagayan Valley Region.
Bonoan said most of the roads that were blocked by landslides during the tremor were already cleared and are now passable for motorists.
But he said there are five remaining impassable road sections in CAR and Ilocos Region are still being cleared by the DPWH Quick Response Teams.
They are the Lubuagan-Batong Buhay Road K0463+700, K0464+000 sections in Puapo, Dangtalan, Pasil and K0464+600, K0464+700, K0464+800 sections in Colong, Lower Uma, Lubuagan, in Kalinga Province which were hit by landslide and rock collapse; the Baguio - Bontoc Road K0347+090 - K0347+180, and K0347+280 - K0347+340 Mt. Data Cliff, Bauko, Mt. Province which were blocked due to soil collapse); and the Tagudin - Cervantes Road K0350+950, and K0353+100 section in Ilocos Sur, also due to landslide and rockslide.
The Santiago-Banayoyo-Lidlidda-San Emilio-Quirino Road K0393+000 Brgy. Cayos, Quirino, Ilocos Sur and the Cervantes-Aluling-Bontoc Road K0387+(-950), Brgy. Aluling, Cervantes, Ilocos Sur (due to landslide and rockslide) are also being cleared.
Bonoan said the target reopening of affected roads in CAR is by 5:00 pm on Saturday, July 30.