Isang, Habagat cause closures of national roads in CAR, Cagayan Valley

Two separate national road sections were closed to traffic in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Cagayan Valley amid the combined effects of tropical cyclone Isang and Southwest Monsoon or Habagat, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Saturday.

The DPWH said a portion of the Lubuagan-Batong Buhay-Abra Boundary Road in CAR, located at K0465+100, Colong, Lower Uma in Lubuagan, Kalinga, was not passable due to soil collapse.

Continuous road monitoring is underway. Clearing operations are set to commence once equipment arrives, the agency said.

Further, a portion of the Jct Victoria Maddela - Alicia - Kasibu Boundary Road in Cagayan Valley, located at K0394+0450 to K0394+0550, in Barangay San Manuel, Aglipay, Quirino was also not passable.

Clearing operations were ongoing, while traffic and warning signs were installed.

Meanwhile, a total of 36 pieces of equipment and 226 personnel members were deployed in CAR, National Capital Region (NCR), Negros Island Region (NIR), and Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and Central Luzon.

One road section in NCR has since been cleared.

In a report by Bernadette Reyes in ''24 Oras Weekend'' on Saturday, footage showed residents rushing to cross a temporary bridge as waters immediately rose at the Bigaan River in Cagayan De Oro City.

Waters had also started to enter houses along the riverside.

The local government unit said a house, a taxi, and a motorcycle were swept away by the floods. No casualties or injuries were reported.

Meanwhile, motorists had difficulty crossing a flooded road due to a spillway in Makilala, Cotabato. Its culvert had a small opening and could not accommodate the overflow of water during downpours.

Waters also overflowed in a spillway in a barangay in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat. Residents were worried about potential floods if the water level continued to rise.

The Southwest Monsoon brought rains to a large part of Mindanao.

A trough of a low pressure area caused a flood that rose quickly in Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental, with residents rushing to evacuate. Floods were waist-deep in other areas.

The MDRRMO held a rescue operation for affected residents.

A search operation is underway for a woman who allegedly drowned after a tricycle she was riding in fell into a river amid inclement weather in Echague, Isabela. Two others were safe following the accident.

Waters rose gutter-deep in a market in Santiago City, Isabela. Aside from the rains, blocked sewage also contributed to the flood.

In Lubuagan, Kalinga, a massive rock blocked a highway, while in Ariato, Nueva Vizcaya, only one lane of the Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya road was passable following a landslide. Authorities have started clearing operations. — VDV/VBL, GMA Integrated News