Stuck on NLEx: ‘As if we went abroad’

Several netizens shared their experiences of driving for hours over the weekend due to heavy traffic along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), amid flooding brought by days of torrential rains.

Many towns in Pampanga province, which the NLEx runs through, were inundated as the southwest monsoon (“habagat”) lashed parts of Luzon.

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In a post shared with the Facebook group “Traffic Updates—NLEx / SCTEx / TPLEx,” a social media user said she left La Union around 6:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, and arrived in Taguig City only at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1—or 22 hours later.

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The heavy traffic along portions of NLEx forced her to take detours through the towns of Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Bulacan.

“Parang nag-abroad lang e” (It was as if we went abroad), she said.

SCTEx refers to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, while TPLEx refers to the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.

“We managed to take a staycation in many different provinces and places… Imagine, we got around! We were even greeted by Jose Mari Chan on the road!,” the user quipped in Filipino.

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Chan is a beloved figure in Philippine music, best known for his Christmas carols that are often used to signal the start of the Yuletide season as early as September.

READ: NLEx operator sorry for heavy traffic, vows for concrete flood barriers

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Another social media user said she and her family left their flooded home in Apalit town, Pampanga, at 9 a.m. on Monday, and managed to arrive at a relative’s home in Dau, in the same province, at 5 a.m. on Tuesday.

Impassable roads

The netizen said roads going through Apalit, San Simon, and San Fernando were impassable due to waist-deep floods at the time. They had gone to Calumpit, Bulacan, in hopes of catching a big bus to pass through the flooded areas, but there was no bus.

However, a truck driver allowed them to board his vehicle until NLEx, where the vehicle could no longer bear the weight of the passengers.

“IT WAS A TRUCK FOR COWS. Not a bus, not rescue trucks from the government. But, thank you to the driver who still tried to help us,” the netizen said, adding, “I hope the government still has some mercy for us.”

READ: Joel Villanueva: NLEx should refund toll fees for stranded motorists

Still another social media user said they left Dinalupihan, Bataan, at 4 p.m. on Monday and arrived in Santa Rosa, Laguna, at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

They were likewise forced to take detours through several towns in Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Bulacan before finding their way to their destination.

Because of their ordeal, she said, one is forced to wonder where the people’s taxes go.

‘Deeply sorry’

In a statement on Monday, NLEx operator Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) said it understood the public’s frustration and that it was “deeply sorry” for the delays the motorists endured.

MPTC said concrete barriers will be deployed along the Tulaoc Bridge in San Simon, Pampanga, to serve as a temporary flood wall, as well as siphoning trucks to remove the floodwater.

In an advisory on Tuesday morning, NLEX Corp. said heavy traffic was still reported on both the northbound and southbound lanes of the expressway segment near San Simon, but that all types of vehicles could pass through the Lane 1 segment.

However, only Class 2 and 3 vehicles, or larger vehicles including buses and trucks, could use the Lane 2 segment.

‘Why still go there?’

Malacañang on Tuesday, meanwhile, advised motorists to avoid NLEx for now, following reports of motorists getting stranded on the expressway due to severe flooding.

At a briefing, Palace press officer Claire Castro dismissed proposals to temporarily suspend NLEx toll fees, saying doing so could result in heavier traffic.

“Why are you still going in if there’s already traffic? Don’t use it for now if you won’t be able to get through anyway,” she said.

“What’s the point of making it (toll-) free? If we make it free, more vehicles will enter. And the more vehicles that enter, the worse the traffic will get,” Castro added.

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Castro said there was no order from President Marcos to sanction NLEx operator MPTC, as the President was focused on finding ways to ease traffic congestion. /cb