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Eastern Samar gov appeals for transport subsidies amid San Juanico Bridge repair

Citing price increases, Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone on Sunday appealed to the national government to subsidize the cost of transporting consumer goods to his province amid the current load limit on the San Juanico Bridge. During an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Evardone made the appeal to avoid an increase in the cost of goods coming to Eastern Samar. 'Ang panukala ko, pumasok na ang national government. I-subsidize 'yung mga cost ng transportation ng goods para hindi tumaas,' Evardone said. ''Yung ikakargang mga produkto at supply sa mga RoRo, sagutin dapat ng national government [ang transportation cost] para hindi tumaas ang presyo [ng mga produkto],' he added. (The national government should intervene and subsidize the cost of transportation of goods to avoid an increase in prices. The national government should shoulder the transportation cost of products and supplies delivered via roll-on/roll-off cargo ships.) The three-ton load limit on the San Juanico Bridge was implemented after a recent assessment raised concerns on the structural integrity of the 52-year old 2.164-kilometer long structure that connects the islands of Samar and Leyte. Evardone said the Department of Trade and Industry assessed that prices in the area are still normal. However, the governor said that it might not be the case come the next inventory. He added the supply of petroleum products is also affected by the situation. 'May mga bumibiyahe [nagdadala ng mga supply at produkto] mula Tacloban papuntang Catbalogan at Calbayog ports. Ang problema sa Eastern Samar, ang layo sa amin ng Calbayog, mga seven to eight hours, at Catbalogan, mga four to five hours, so additional cost din talaga 'yan,' Evardone said. (There are products being transported from Tacloban to the ports of Catbalogan and Calbayabog. However, it is far away from Eastern Samar. Calbayog takes about seven to eight hours, while Catbalogan takes about four to five hours, so there are additional costs.) 'Ang pinangangambahan namin, dahil paubos na ang old stock ng consumer products, 'yung mga darating na bago, siguradong magtataas ang presyo niyan kung hindi maaagapan nang intervention ng national government,' he added. (We're worried about the price increase of the incoming supplies since the old stocks of consumer products have almost been consumed. It will become costly if the national government does not intervene.) Evardone also suggested that RoRos should go straight to Eastern Samar since it also has ports in the municipalities of Borongan and Guiuan. Earlier this week, the Province of Samar was placed under a state of emergency. Meanwhile, the Office of Civil Defense Eastern Visayas and the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council are on blue alert following the enforcement of the vehicle weight limit. —RF, GMA Integrated News