MANILA — The Department of Public Works and Highways will deploy shuttle buses that will ferry passengers across San Juanico Bridge after the agency imposed strict load limits on the bridge linking Samar and Leyte.

The DPWH earlier imposed a strict 3-ton maximum axle load limit on all vehicles passing the bridge after the government identified “vulnerabilities in the bridge’s components.”

“Ang ipinangako ng DPWH, magkakaroon po ng 13 shuttle buses, 24/7 service para doon sa mga tao na maapektuhan para po magamit po ang lugar, dahil light vehicles lamang po ang maaaring gumamit dito,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a Palace briefing.

Castro said the national government has organized a “multi-taskforce” that seeks to speed up the rehabilitation of the bridge.

Authorities will also put weighing stations on both ends of the bridge to ensure that the 3-metric ton maximum axle load will be followed.

“Nagkaroon po ng blue alert. Ibig sabihin nasa heightened alert ang mga concerned agencies para po matugunan, ma-respondihan kung anuman po ang pangangailangan ng mga taong naapektuhan,” she said.

“Dahil ito po ay rehabilitation, mas nanaisin po talaga na maiwasan kung anuman maaaring idulot ng disgrasya kung ito man ay hindi maayos ng maagap,” she added.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) of Samar earlier recommended the declaration of a State of Emergency in the province following structural concerns raised on the San Juanico Bridge.

The San Juanico Bridge serves as a critical link between the islands of Samar and Leyte, and is a major passageway for the movement of goods and people from Luzon to Mindanao and vice versa. Any disruption to this route could significantly impact transportation, trade, and the supply of basic commodities.

To help minimize the effect of possible shortages, the council also passed another resolution requesting the Philippine Navy to deploy a vessel that can transport fuel, medical supplies, and other essential goods between Tacloban and Catbalogan.

For now, to ensure the continuous flow of supplies, goods from Tacloban are being loaded onto cargo vessels bound for the port of Basey, Samar, where they are then transferred to trucks for delivery to various parts of Samar.

Repairs of the San Juanico Bridge superstructure could reach P900 million, not including the foundation, said Eugene Tan, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Tacloban-Leyte. With a report by Sharon Evite