DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The plan to reconnect the Bukidnon-Davao (BuDa) road after a portion of it collapsed last week is given a five-month timetable by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Last October 18, about 30 meters of the BuDa road along Overview, Barangay Palacapo, municipality of Quezon, Bukidnon collapsed, making the road unpassable for vehicles.
An elderly couple, Ely and Thelma Unabay, was buried amidst the landslide along with their tricycle locally called bao-bao. Their bodies were recovered days later from a search operation.
A DPWH engineer said the collapse was due to the softening of the soil in the area after periods of heavy rainfall.
The BuDa road is a zig-zag route carved around mountains that connects Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon to Davao City.
In a social media post by the Municipality of Quezon, DPWH Region X heads met with local government officials last October 23 to layout plans for the construction of the alternative route.
An alternative route will be carved out near the collapsed area, but DPWH X said that they will first do soil testing to determine its stability. This will be followed by the construction of the new road for the next three months.
An alternative route for local residents and light vehicles will be constructed near the damaged area to address the concerns of the residents for their transportation.
Given such timetable, the BuDa highway in the area will be reopened for the traveling public by mid-2026.
But Quezon Mayor Pablo Lorenzo appealed to DPWH to fast track the construction, as he noted the economic activities of traders, farmers, transport operators and businesses are affected by the long closure. He added that the alternate routes may lead to higher prices due to high transport costs.
The DPWH has advised motorists to use the following alternative routes:
- From Cagayan de Oro to Tagum City route – via Junction Sayre Highway – Valencia – Kapalong – Talaingod – Tagum
- Maramag to Davao route – via Junction BuDa through Carmen – Kabacan – Kidapawan – Digos – Davao (davaotoday.com)
