Travelers at Mactan-Cebu International Airport experienced significant delays and flight cancellations over the weekend after potholes were discovered on a section of the runway, necessitating emergency repairs.

In line with this, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) announced Sunday that it is investigating the cause of the damage, which led airlines to cancel or delay numerous flights.

“We will investigate the reason for the pothole issue. We need to know what happened to the runway asphalt and the quality of the last repair,” Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said.

He cited that the runway was last repaired either in 2018 or 2020.

Dizon also disclosed that the Civil Aeronautics Board has directed airlines to provide assistance and accommodation to all affected passengers.

To manage the disruption, a secondary runway was opened to facilitate emergency repairs on Runway 04R/22L. The main runway was reopened by 7:30 p.m. Saturday after repairs were completed.