Eastern Visayas execs seek ways to ease bridge limit impact
The major repair of the stunning San Juanico Bridge, shown here in a drone shot taken in November 2021, that links the islands of Leyte (Tacloban City) and Samar (Sta. Rita, Samar), is projected to cause major economic disruption as it is a vital business and tourism link between the two islands. —Syrix Remanes/Contributor
TACLOBAN CITY, LEYTE, Philippines — Local governments across the Eastern Visayas region are taking urgent measures to mitigate the economic and logistical fallout of the vehicle weight restrictions being enforced on the San Juanico Bridge.
Mayor Roy Ador of Oras, Eastern Samar, said the restriction already had a “large impact” on both the local economy and public service delivery.
“Consumers are now complaining about the rising prices of commodities,” Ador said in a statement sent to the Inquirer on Tuesday.
“Our economic and commercial department has already begun investigating and found that some establishments have imposed price increases. We have advised a price freeze while we hold a focused group discussion with stakeholders to arrive at practical and meaningful solutions,” he added.
Ador said public services, including trips of vehicles bringing patients to hospitals and daily garbage collection, have been affected due to a shortage of fuel caused by delivery delays.
READ: Tacloban mayor wants ‘second opinion’ on San Juanico Bridge condition
The Department of Public Works and Highways on May 14 imposed a temporary ban on vehicles weighing more than 3 tons from crossing the iconic bridge that connects Leyte and Samar islands.
This has disrupted the movement of goods and services between these islands, prompting a wave of concern from the local governments.
Supply, price monitoring
In Borongan City, the provincial capital of Eastern Samar, Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda last week convened a meeting with the Department of Trade and Industry and the local chamber of commerce to assess the situation.
“A special task force will be created to monitor the supply and pricing of goods and address any problems arising from the bridge restriction,” Agda said in his social media post.
“We are urging the public not to panic or resort to panic buying and to only trust official information from our media bureaus,” he added.
Janis Canta, planning and development officer of Tacloban City, stressed that the local government may soon run low on fuel and essential goods as demand from neighboring provinces continues to rise.
“Tacloban is the supply hub of Eastern Visayas. The weight limitation will not only affect the city but the entire region,” she said in an interview.
“We’ve only recently bounced back from prepandemic levels, and now we face this new challenge. We’re appealing to the national government for urgent action to protect our economy and ensure the continuous supply of basic goods,” she added.
Food shortage
Mayor Luz Chu-Ponferrada of Basey, Samar, echoed similar concerns, warning of possible food shortage in her town.
“That is my fear—hunger,” Ponferrada said in a separate interview. “If no alternative route is provided for heavy trucks carrying essential supplies, our people will suffer.”
A fish port at Barangay Amandayehan in Basey has been identified as a potential temporary route for roll-on, roll-off vessels that can transport trucks exceeding the bridge’s weight limit.
In response to the growing crisis, the provincial government of Samar on May 20 placed the province under a state of emergency, enabling the use of its quick response or calamity fund to cushion the economic blow. /cb/abc
