THE EASTERN Visayas Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC) is hopeful that President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. will approve the proposal to declare a state of calamity across the entire region because of the San Juanico Bridge’s weakening three-ton weight limit.
It will accordingly help the region respond right away to the needs of people using the bridge and find ways to maintain the volume of traffic and do repairs on the bridge as well.
As per RDRRMC, more than 200 vehicles have been stranded since load restrictions were implemented on May 15 and are expected to cause monthly economic losses of PHP300-600 million. The said losses will have a direct impact on the supply of food, fuel, regional trade, healthcare services, and commercial distribution.
In order to speed up the transfer of funds and enable the prompt repair and reconstruction of the San Juanico Bridge, the NDRRMC suggested to the President on May 30, 2025, that the entire Region 8 be placed under a state of calamity to restore critical public services and logistics.
According to RDRRMC, a state of calamity is reasonable if at least 15% of the population that is predicted to be affected by the disaster, as determined by scientific projections, requires emergency aid, and if at least 30% of the means of subsistence in the business, industrial, and agricultural sectors are affected.
Samar province and Tacloban City are the local government units that have declared a state of emergency due to the current state of the San Juanico Bridge. On Thursday, the Eastern Samar provincial DRRMC suggested making the same proclamation.
Meanwhile, a resolution to disburse PHP500 million from the DRRM fund to cover the immediate repair of the worsening bridge foundation was already passed by the RDRRMC. (By Gwen Maurillo/EV Mail May 26-June 1, 2025 issue)
