Sens. Robinhood Padilla and Lito Lapid were among the motorists caught in the massive traffic jam along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) as severe flooding rendered parts of the expressway impassable in San Simon, Pampanga.
Padilla said it took him seven hours to travel from his home to the San Simon exit, after leaving at around 4:30 a.m. and getting out of the area at about 11:30 a.m.
‘Nadaan po ako mismo sa NLEx kahapon… Pitong oras po… sa San Simon pa lang po ‘yon, hindi po kami nakarating ng Pangasinan,’ Padilla said during the Senate session on Tuesday.
(I personally passed through NLEX yesterday… It took seven hours… and that was only as far as San Simon. We didn’t even make it to Pangasinan.)
He said they initially expected the floodwaters to have subsided when they returned to NLEx later in the day, but found that the water had risen further.
‘Makikita n’yo po sa video, mas tumaas pa ‘yung tubig,’ Padilla said.
(You can see in the video that the water rose even higher.)
Padilla said the flooding also left alternative routes, including MacArthur Highway, impassable.
Sen. Joel Villanueva, in his privilege speech, said Lapid was likewise affected by the traffic. He said the congestion stretched for about 10 kilometers, with some motorists reportedly spending as long as 22 hours on the road.
Villanueva called on the NLEx Corp. to consider waiving or refunding toll fees for motorists affected by the flooding. He also urged the operator to pursue long-term measures to address recurring flooding along the expressway.
The Inquirer sought comment from NLEx on the matter but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.
The NLEx operator has previously apologized to motorists stranded in sections of the expressway that became impassable because of severe flooding.