LEGAZPI CITY — Some 150 trucks bound for the Visayas and Mindanao that were grounded along the Maharlika Highway in Bato town in Camarines Sur were ordered to return to their point of origin in Manila on Saturday night, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) here said on Sunday.
The trucks were not allowed to proceed to the ports in Sorsogon as a preventive measure to unclog the ports in Sorsogon when the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) enforced the “no sailing” policy, suspending sea travel in all ports in Bicol due to Typhoon Bising (international name Surigae).
Gremil Alexis Naz, OCD Bicol spokesperson, said the OCD issued a green light on the request of Camarines Sur Governor Miguel Luis “Migz” Villafuerte authorizing the province to immediately pull out the hundreds of trucks that were occupying a long queue along the highway at the Camarines Sur-Albay border in Bato town.
Villafuerte, in his request, said the parked trucks are obstructing the flow of traffic in the area, especially when there is a need to conduct road clearing operations as Bising hovers near the province at sea on Sunday, threatening to trigger flooding and topple trees and electric posts in the area.
As this developed, the Provincial Incident Management Team (PIMT) that conducted a rapid antigen test on the stranded drivers and helpers found out three of them were infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The Land Transportation Office Friday issued an advisory to cancel road travel to trucks, buses, and cars bound for the Visayas and Mindanao via the national highway and the ports in Albay and Sorsogon.