A major portion of the four-lane Bukidnon-Davao road in Sitio Kipolot of Barangay Palacapao here collapsed following a landslide around 9:40 p.m. on Saturday, October 18, rendering the area impassable to all types of vehicles.
The Municipal Public Safety Office (MPSO) of Quezon has advised motorists to avoid the affected section, which has been declared ‘not passable’ for safety reasons.
Teams from the MPSO, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), Municipal Engineering Office (MEO), and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) are currently on-site conducting assessment, clearing, and rescue operations. Traffic congestion has been reported in the area, and motorists are advised to take alternate routes while the affected portion remains closed.
In a phone interview, Lyle Justine Egay, public information officer of the Quezon local government, said that the MPSO is closely monitoring the situation, installing warning signage, and providing regular updates.
In a travel advisory, the Department of Public Works and Highways in Northern Mindanao said those bound for Davao City coming from Cagayan de Oro City or Bukidnon may take the highway from Valencia City to Tagum City and on to Davao City. This adds some 60 kilometers to the travel length.
Instead of entering Quezon town, another route is the highway from the junction of Camp 1 in Maramag, Bukidnon to Kabacan, Cotabato, and on to Davao City. This adds some 90 kilometers to the length of travel.
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake
Before the landslide-described by authorities as a major collapse of the national highway linking Quezon town and Davao City-a magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Surigao del Sur at 8:31 p.m., with tremors felt across several parts of Mindanao, including Bukidnon.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the quake had a depth of 20 kilometers and was located 23 kilometers southeast of Cagwait, Surigao del Sur.
It was classified as an aftershock of the magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck the same area on October 11.mm
Residents across Davao, Surigao, and Bukidnon reported feeling the tremor, with many expressing concern online over the frequent earthquakes and landslides occurring amid persistent rains in the region./cb