DPWH ramps up debris clearing on Bukidnon-Davao road after landslide

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY— The Department of Public Works and Highways in Northern Mindanao (DPWH-10) has vowed to expedite the clearing of debris dumped on Monday on the San Fernando-Kapalong road that connects Bukidnon and Davao del Norte provinces.

A massive landslide triggered the closure of a long stretch of the highway on Monday, forcing authorities to divert traffic to alternative routes.

No casualties were reported after a landslide buried a 228-meter section of a four-lane highway expansion in San Fernando, Bukidnon, local police said.

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READ: New landslide shuts Bukidnon road a day after Davao route reopens

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Heavy rains over several days triggered the landslide in Sitio Balacayo, Barangay Kalagangan, San Fernando, according to Jaymaica Maraguinot, DPWH-10 public affairs officer-in-charge.

Maraguinot stated that engineers reported water gushing down the mountain on Sunday, ahead of the landslide that occurred at dawn on Monday.

She added that the landslide dumped 17 meters of mud and debris, burying two-thirds of the four-lane road project.

“Clearing operations may take days, but we are deploying more earth-moving equipment to expedite the process,” Maraguinot said.

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Four backhoes and two dump trucks are currently clearing the site, with two additional bulldozers scheduled for deployment on Wednesday, Maraguinot said.

“Our engineers estimate we need to remove 80,000 cubic meters of mud and debris. The road is currently impassable, and we advise motorists to take alternative routes,” Maraguinot said.

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Buses bound for Tagum from Cagayan de Oro and Malaybalay cities were left stranded in Barangay Kalagangan, said Police Senior Master Sergeant Ernifleur Cabilar of the San Fernando police.

The San Fernando Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) advised motorists to detour via the Bukidnon-Davao (BuDa) road in Quezon town, or through Barangay Matupe to the Paquibato District.

READ: DPWH opens new section of Bukidnon-Davao road

The landslide was the second to hit the San Fernando-Talaingod road in two days.

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DPWH-10 reported that an earlier landslide struck Sitio Cabadiangan, Talaingod on July 5, but crews successfully cleared the debris later that afternoon./coa