With three out of 14 bridges in Bohol heavily damaged, the Department of Public Works and Highways said it will provide temporary bridging materials to connect isolated areas in the province.
In a briefing with President Benigno S. Aquino III at the Governor’s mansion here, Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson said the building materials will come from Bacolod and Aklan and will take the department maximum of four weeks to build.
“We hope we’ll be able to do it in less than four weeks. All the others are minor—‘yung mga approach lang, settlements—which means that out of the 14, the 11 remaining should be passable within a week’s time,” Singson told the President. The private sector is also helping the government assess the province’s structures, he said.
The Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers is bringing in 10 structural engineers, together with the DPWH’s bridge and structural engineers. The experts will be assessing hospitals, school buildings, municipal halls, and public markets, he explained.
Although there are damages to roads, Singson said they believe they could make most of the roads passable soon.
With regards to the condition of the Tagbilaran Airport, Transportation and Communication Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the facility has opened since 10:30 a.m. yesterday. While there are limitation the facility is structurally sound, he said.
As to the Tagbilaran Port, Abaya said it is partially open. It could actually accommodate two non-RORO vessels and two RORO vessels. The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) engineers are coming over to assess the expansion of the cargo area to allow forklifts and trucks to move containers.
Based on the initial assessment of the PPA, the Tagbilaran port would need P500 million for repairs, Abaya said.
The Philippine Coast Guard has two vessels assisting DSWD in its relief operations, he said. One is loading up in Manila and another vessel in Cebu is also loading cargo to help the victims. (PND)