Tacloban City: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided PHP1.21 million worth of assistance to individuals displaced by the limited access to the San Juanico Bridge during the first two weeks of the crisis.

According to Philippines News Agency, as of the end of May, the DSWD in Eastern Visayas has distributed 1,874 family food packs, 401 bottles of 6.6 liters of purified water, and financial assistance to affected individuals stranded in Basey, Calbayog City, and Sta. Rita in Samar, as well as Tacloban City and Ormoc City in Leyte. The agency’s quick response team remains activated to ensure continuous coordination with affected local government units and to facilitate timely resource augmentation in the impacted areas, as stated by the DSWD on Monday.

The DSWD has also established help desks in selected areas across the two provinces to provide immediate assistance when needed. More than PHP136 million worth of relief resources remain on standby to ensure ongoing support to those affected by the bridge’s load limit.

For over two weeks, hundreds of Leyte and Mindanao-bound truckers have been queuing in Basey, Samar, awaiting opportunities to cross the San Juanico Strait to Leyte via the Amandayehan Port. Officials have announced that the newly improved port will be operational within the week after undergoing 10 days of upgrade work.

Spanning a length of 2.16 kilometers, the San Juanico Bridge is the longest bridge along the Pan-Philippine Highway, connecting Luzon and Mindanao. It was constructed between 1969 and 1973. Due to the limited access, some truckers have resorted to taking the longer roll-on, roll-off route from Calbayog City in Samar to Ormoc City in Leyte.

The Eastern Visayas Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council reported that approximately 14,000 vehicles cross the San Juanico Bridge daily, with around 10 percent being cargo trucks.