Some roads, bridges in Ilocos Sur now passable

Some major roads and bridges in Ilocos Sur are now open to traffic as the weather in the province improved Friday, a television report said. GMA 7’s Flash Report said the province now only experiences occasional rainshowers although the winds are still strong. Commuters can now use Santa Cruz Bridge and the Banawang and Bantay Highways, which are the entry points to Vigan. However, the town of Gregorio del Pilar is still isolated due to the swelling of Buaya River, the same report said. Two people, including a child, were reported missing. They were among those who left their residences to seek refuge against the floods but have yet to be accounted as of posting time.

In Pangasinan, the roads in Villasis and Rosales were submerged in water and impassable after Lipay and Carmen dikes collapsed during the onslaught of tropical depression "Pepeng." [See: 2 dikes give in, worsen floods in Pangasinan] The Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) said commuters from Manila can take Camiling Road in Tarlac province, pass through Mangataren, Aguilar and Bugallon to get to Lingayen. Aside from the two towns, major population centers in northern Luzon, including Baguio, were isolated from the rest of the region due to widespread flooding and landslides due to Pepeng. [See: N. Luzon cut off from Manila, thousands need rescue] - Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV