Several netizens shared their experiences of being stuck in traffic for hours along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) amid flooding brought by days of torrential rains.
Many towns in Pampanga province, which the NLEX runs through, were flooded as the southwest monsoon (habagat) prevailed over parts of Luzon over the weekend.
In a post shared with the Facebook group ‘Traffic Updates – NLEX / SCTEX / TPLEX,’ a social media user said she had left La Union around 6:30 a.m. on Monday and only arrived in Taguig City at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
SCTEX refers to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, while the TPLEX refers to the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.
The user noted that, due to the heavy traffic along portions of NLEX, they were prompted to take detours through the towns of Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan.
‘Parang nag-abroad lang e,’ she joked.
(It was almost as though we went abroad.)
Jose Mari Chan
‘Grabe ka, NLEX! Nakapag-staycation tuloy kami sa iba’t ibang provinces at lugar… Imagine, nakapaglibot kami! Inabutan tuloy kami ni Jose Mari Chan sa daan!’ she added.
(You’re something else, NLEX! We managed to take a staycation in many different provinces and places… Imagine, we got around! We were even greeted by Jose Mari Chan on the road!)
Chan is a beloved figure in Philippine music, best known for his Christmas carols often used to usher in the local celebration of the Yuletide season as early as September.
The social media user explained that she was on the way to Metro Manila for her third chemotherapy session.
‘This kind of situation really makes you realize how crucial accessible and passable roads are, especially for patients who need to reach hospitals urgently,’ she said.
Although she said she was grateful to have returned home, she stressed, ‘We Filipinos deserve better.’
Another social media user said she and her family had left their flooded home in Apalit town, Pampanga at 9 a.m. on Monday, but they only arrived at a relative’s home in Dau also in the province at 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
The netizen said roads going through Apalit, San Simon and San Fernando had been impassable due to waist-deep floods at the time.
She also said they had gone to Calumpit, Bulacan in hopes of catching a big bus to pass through the flooded areas.
‘We travelled back and forth from Apalit to Calumpit, to Apalit again, and back to Calumpit kase sabi meron daw libreng sakay, pero wala naman dumadating after waiting for hours,’ she said.
(We travelled back and forth from Apalit to Calumpit, to Apalit again, and back to Calumpit because we were told there were free rides, but none came after waiting for hours.)
`Truck for cows’
However, she managed to get the help of a truck driver who had allowed them on board until reaching NLEX, where the vehicle could no longer bear the weight of the passengers.
‘TRUCK NA PARA SA BAKA. Hindi bus, hindi rescue trucks from the government. Pero, thank you kay kuya na hindi naman utos ng gobyerno pero nagmabuting loob na subukang mahatid kami,’ she noted.
(IT WAS A TRUCK FOR COWS. Not a bus, not rescue trucks from the government. But, thank you to the driver who was kind enough to try to drive us despite no order from the government.)
‘Para kaming mga palaboy naghahanap ng masakayan, buti nalang may big bus na kononsider kunin kami ni lola, lalo na may mga bata,’ she added.
(We felt like wanderers who could not find a ride. We were lucky to find a big bus who considered taking us since we were travelling with an elderly person and children.)
‘Sana naman may natitira pang awa yung gobyerno,’ she stressed.
(I hope the government still has some mercy.)
Meanwhile, another social media user said they had left Dinalupihan, Bataan at 4 p.m. on Monday and arrived in Santa Rosa, Laguna at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
She noted that they had likewise taken detours through several towns in Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan before finding their way to their destination.
‘Mapapaisip ka na lang ng dito ba napupunta ung taxes ko?’ she said.
(You’ll just think: is this where my taxes go?)
She urged fellow motorists to research on social media groups and on map applications to see the conditions of the roads; to fill up their gas tanks, have full meals and bring food before travelling; and to have patience on the road.
For its part, in a statement on Monday, NLEX operator Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) said it understood the public’s frustration, stressing that it was ‘deeply sorry’ for the delays that motorists endured.
MPTC noted that it will be deploying concrete barriers along 300 meters northbound and 300 meters southbound along the Tulaoc Bridge in San Simon, Pampanga to serve as a temporary flood wall as well as siphoning trucks to remove the floodwater.
In a traffic advisory on Tuesday morning, the NLEX Corporation said heavy traffic was still reported in both the northbound and southbound lanes of the expressway segment near San Simon but that all types of vehicles could pass through Lane 1 segment.
Meanwhile, it added, only Class 2 and 3 vehicles, or larger vehicles including buses and trucks, could pass through Lane 2 of the segment.