Landslides strand hundreds in C. Valley

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines  – Hundreds of commuters in Cagayan Valley’s northern and southern borders were stranded yesterday due to heavy rains, which resulted in pockets of landslides.

Reports said traffic jams lasting for almost four hours faced commuters along the landslide-prone Dalton Pass section of the national highway linking this landlocked province and Nueva Ecija en route to Metro Manila.

Dionicio Bungihan said he and other commuters went through the road standstill for nearly four hours, from midnight to almost dawn, due to heavy traffic caused by several landslides along the highway.

As of press time, the traffic situation along Dalton Pass, the threshold to Cagayan Valley from the south, had yet to normalize due to the rainfall.

In the north, commuters were reportedly still stranded as of press time yesterday due to rain-spawned heavy landslides along the Cagayan-Ilocos Norte border, particularly in Pagudpud town’s Barangay Pasaleng.

Reports said an almost one-meter high and 30-meter long stockpile of debris from landslides littered the national highway there, causing the heavy traffic jam.

 – With Raymund Catindig