Davao-Bukidnon Road Section Closed Due to Road Slip; Detours Advised

A section of the major Davao-Bukidnon Road, a vital artery connecting Bukidnon province and Davao City, has been closed following a road slip that occurred on Friday evening, July 17. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – XI reported that the incident in Purok 39, Sitio Marahan, Barangay Marilog Proper caused two lanes of the road to collapse. DPWH-XI initially advised that light vehicles could still pass through in an advisory posted on their official Facebook page at 9:39 p.m. Friday. However, the agency later confirmed the closure due to the severity of the damage. Heavy rains from a thunderstorm were cited as the cause of the road slip. A road slip, also known as a landslip or road slump, is a type of landslide specifically affecting roadways, where a portion of land beneath or adjacent to a paved road erodes, leading to its collapse. While landslides refer to the general downhill movement of earth or rock, road slips involve smaller-scale failures impacting road edges. Motorists are advised to use alternative routes. For light vehicles, DPWH-XI suggested the Davao-Bukidnon Road-Datu Ladayon-Katipunan-Campo Uno route, which passes through barangays in Arakan, Cotabato Province. Emergency responders are on-site to assist drivers seeking these detours. The DPWH-XI District Engineering Office has conducted assessments and response operations. Photos released by the DPWH showed some homes damaged as a result of the road slip. This incident in Marahan occurred approximately nine months after a landslide in Barangay Palacapao, Quezon, Bukidnon, caused a portion of the road to collapse last October. A detour road for that incident was only opened in January of this year. Source: MindaNews Philippines (GN)