Damage to national roads and bridges from the Taal Volcano eruption has reached P153.32 million, the Department of Public Works and Highways said yesterday.
The estimated damage to infrastructure increased from P137.16 million to P153.32 million after the department found out that two more national bridges in Batangas sustained damage due to previous volcanic tremors.
According to DPWH Bureau of Maintenance Director Ernesto Gregorio, the Calbangan Bridge on Palico-Balayan-Batangas Road in Barangay Mataas na Bayan, Lemery and the Laguile Bridge on the Lemery-Taal Diversion Road in Barangay Laguile, Taal sustained estimated an estimated damage of P4.77 million each.
Five roads and a bridge were earlier reported damaged – Palico-Balayan-Batangas Road with a P27-million damage; Lemery Taal Diversion Road with P35.16-million damage; Diokno Highway with P41.62-million damage; Tanauan-Talisay-Tagaytay Road with P4-million damage; and Talisay-Laurel-Agoncillo Road with P34-million damage.
The Sinisian Bridge on Palico-Balayan-Batangas Road suffered P2-million damage.
Only the Talisay-Laurel-Agoncillo Road remain impassable to date due to damaged pavement and lockdown imposed by the local government units of Laurel and Agoncillo, the DPWH said.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology continues to monitor activities of the Taal Volcano.
It has recorded several volcanic earthquakes which signify magmatic activity beneath the Taal’s edifice.
Phivolcs said that the Philippine Seismic Network plotted a total of seven volcanic earthquakes that registered at magnitudes 1.7 to 2.5 with no felt from 5 a.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. yesterday.
The Taal Volcano Network, which can record small earthquakes undetectable by the PSN, recorded 116 volcanic earthquakes, including two low-frequency events, in the past 24 hours.
Phivolcs said that “these earthquakes signify magmatic activity beneath the Taal edifice that could lead to eruptive activity at the main crater.”
Phivolcs also pointed out that the activity in the volcano’s main crater in the past 24 hours has been characterized by moderate emission of white to dirty white steam-laden plumes 500 to 700 meters tall that drifted southwest. It is 200 meters higher than last Thursday’s emission. (Betheena Unite and Joseph Pedrajas)
