Following a whole night of non-stop heavy rains, spawned by super typhoon Juan, a major highway in this town was hit by flood waters that affected thousands of commuters.
Manuel Salvador, a 64-year old resident of Barangay Tulbang in this town, said water started to rise at around 7 a.m. Tuesday that submerged Kilometer 164 of the Romulo highway.
Only a wall separates the Camiling river from the Romulo highway, which is no longer passable to all types of vehicles.
Local residents were seen traversing the Romulo highway braving the strong current on foot. Water was measured up to waist-deep.
The Romulo highway is a vital line for the western part of Pangasinan. In case of closure, commuters will have to take Dagupan road if they are going southbound to Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga or Manila.
Trucks and buses were stranded and are waiting for the water to subside before drivers can hit the road.
Personnel from the Philippine National Police, together with some local residents helped in removing the big woods and bamboos that were stacked up beneath the Camiling bridge.
The 3rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army in the area provided free rides to the stranded passengers.
Using their three heavy 6x6 trucks, they transported the passengers to their destinations.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has inspected the area to determine where the floodwater came from.
Benjamin Lopez, district engineer of DPWH-Tarlac said that he is still wondering how the Romulo Highway was overflowed by water.
He said the water could have came from the Mayantoc River. - PNA
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