Damage to infra reaches P5.25B

The combined impact of the southwest monsoon (habagat) and Tropical Cyclones "Crising," "Dante," and "Emong" has resulted in an estimated P5.25 billion in damages to public infrastructure, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Friday.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan reported that the partial damage estimate includes P913.02 million in national roads, P148.48 million in bridges, and P4.19 billion in flood control structures across the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, and the Negros Island Region (NIR).

These figures, however, remain subject to field validation, according to Bonoan.

Meanwhile, 19 national road sections are closed to traffic: nine in CAR, four in Ilocos Region, four in Central Luzon, and two in Calabarzon due to fallen trees and electrical cables, debris flow, soil collapse, debris on bridge deck, fallen lamp posts, road slip, collapsed slope protection, and flooding.

The DPWH also reported that 37 national road sections have limited access: 16 in Calabarzon, six in Central Luzon, four in Mimaropa, three in CAR, two in National Capital Region, two in Ilocos Region, two in Zamboanga Peninsula, one in NIR, and one in Bicol Region due to roadcut, soil collapse, flooding, precautionary measures, road slip, and washed-out detour road.