Road Safety during Heavy Downpour in Cordilleras

The natural beauty of the Cordilleras is often become inaccessible during rainy season. As the region is set in a high altitude, road going up t as well as region-wide roads are prone to landslides.

Halsema Highway and almost all municipal and barangay roads in the region are not exempted to this. These intermittent closures and at different locations during rainy season have big impact on the economy of the region.

First, vegetable produces will not be able to reach the trading center in La Trinidad. This prompts farmers to just let their products rot in the garden and to be decomposed as natural fertilizer, or just ditch it along the way, one of which become viral in social media when a farmer ditched his tons of cucumber along the road.

Second, it also affects the tourism industry of the region. A lot of families in different municipalities are thriving in tourism. A landslide means no tourists to guide, to buy their local products, to sleep in their homestays, among others.

The post of Bakun MPS below is just normal in the region. Until such a time that roads in the Cordilleras will become landslide proof, then economic growth in the area will not be hindered.