BAGUIO CITY -– Motorists going to and from Baguio are urged to avoid traversing Kennon road as a precautionary measure during rainy days.
Andrew Alex Uy, regional director of the Office of the Civil Defense Cordillera (OCD-CAR), in an early morning advisory on Saturday again advised motorists to pass through Marcos highway or Naguillian road in going to the city and back to the lowlands.
He said “Kennon road is open to traffic. However, for safety purposes, we advise that they take other roads.” The standing rule at Kennon road is to prevent traversing the road after two hours of continuous rain. Baguio City and the rest of the region experiences continuous rain due to the monsoon rain enhanced by effect of Severe Tropical Storm “Gorio” or international name “Nesat” since Tuesday.
The OCD consistently maintains its advisory that while the historic road is open, there are rocks falling from the mountain and to prevent any accidents or inconvenience, the Marcos highway, which was declared as an all-weather road to and from this city be used by motorists.
Kennon road has been a favorite road to this city due to its short distance and travel time, 45-minutes to an hour to Rosario, La Union. Marcos highway is more than an hour drive to Agoo, La Union while using Naguillian road, Bauang La Union is about one hour and 30 minutes drive and is another hour away to junction Saytan in Rosario town.
During the 1990 killer earthquake that rocked the city and the rest of Northern Luzon, Kennon road’s slope moved, the reason a number of landslides occur not only during the rainy reason, but whenever there is a continuous rain lasting for two hours or more.
Being a mountainous region, the Cordillera frequently experiences landslides and rockfall which gives motorists difficulty in traversing the roads, especially during the rainy season. “All motorists are advised to take extra care while plying the road this rainy season,” Uy said. Nestor Castañeda Jr./PNA-northboundasia.com