CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council (SCADC) is seeking a ban on the burning of sugarcane, other crops and grasses as well as enforcement of measures against accidental fires near the government-owned Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) for the safety of motorists.
The SCADC took the moves after four people died in the collision of six cars and a truck on the north bound lane of Km. 64 of the SCTEx in Barangay Sapang Balen, Mabalacat on Dec. 28.
“Smoke from a grassfire in that area gave drivers zero visibility,” an investigation report from the SCTEx traffic center showed.
The first car slowed down when the driver’s vision was blurred by thick, black smoke. The vehicles behind it then slammed on each other’s rears, the report said.
The maximum speed allowed on the SCTEx is 120 km per hour.
“We are preparing a letter to Boking [Mabalacat Mayor Marino Morales] and all other mayors of municipalities traversed by SCTEx to ban burning near the expressway to prevent recurrence,” said Edgardo Pamintuan, chair of SCADC and the Luzon Urban Beltway Council, in a phone interview.
Built on loans from the Japan government and opened in April 2008, the SCTEx is 94-km toll road that starts from the Tipo Road at the Subic Bay Freeport; Dinalupihan and Hermosa in Bataan; Floridablanca, Porac, Angeles City and Mabalacat in Pampanga; and Bamban, Concepcion, La Paz and Tarlac City in Tarlac.
While the environs there are scenic with mountains, hills, rivers and plains, the hazards come when sugar planters begin burning their plots to clear those for the next harvest. Othes burn hay or grasses.
Retired Gen. Robert Gervacio, BCDA project manager for SCTEX, could not say how many similar accidents had happened. He said he was on leave and did not have access to data.
The report said the Bases Conversion Development Authority, as proponent of the SCTEx, has secured a 20-meter clearance on each side of the highway. This buffer is not planted with crops.
Sugar planters and rice growers have been advised since 2008 not to burn waste from their farms, the report said. It said that the BCDA has put up markers that prohibit the indiscriminate throwing of cigarette butts.
In the Dec. 28 incident, more than 10 firetrucks worked to put off the fire, it was learned.
Pamintuan is confident that local officials will heed the advice of the SCADC to enforce a ban on burning. They have enforced a no-billboard policy in any part of the road, he said.
“We should continue ensuring the safety of motorists. The SCTEx is a crucial artery for logistics, tourism and lifeline during emergencies,” he said.
The SCADC took the moves after four people died in the collision of six cars and a truck on the north bound lane of Km. 64 of the SCTEx in Barangay Sapang Balen, Mabalacat on Dec. 28.
“Smoke from a grassfire in that area gave drivers zero visibility,” an investigation report from the SCTEx traffic center showed.
The first car slowed down when the driver’s vision was blurred by thick, black smoke. The vehicles behind it then slammed on each other’s rears, the report said.
The maximum speed allowed on the SCTEx is 120 km per hour.
“We are preparing a letter to Boking [Mabalacat Mayor Marino Morales] and all other mayors of municipalities traversed by SCTEx to ban burning near the expressway to prevent recurrence,” said Edgardo Pamintuan, chair of SCADC and the Luzon Urban Beltway Council, in a phone interview.
Built on loans from the Japan government and opened in April 2008, the SCTEx is 94-km toll road that starts from the Tipo Road at the Subic Bay Freeport; Dinalupihan and Hermosa in Bataan; Floridablanca, Porac, Angeles City and Mabalacat in Pampanga; and Bamban, Concepcion, La Paz and Tarlac City in Tarlac.
While the environs there are scenic with mountains, hills, rivers and plains, the hazards come when sugar planters begin burning their plots to clear those for the next harvest. Othes burn hay or grasses.
Retired Gen. Robert Gervacio, BCDA project manager for SCTEX, could not say how many similar accidents had happened. He said he was on leave and did not have access to data.
The report said the Bases Conversion Development Authority, as proponent of the SCTEx, has secured a 20-meter clearance on each side of the highway. This buffer is not planted with crops.
Sugar planters and rice growers have been advised since 2008 not to burn waste from their farms, the report said. It said that the BCDA has put up markers that prohibit the indiscriminate throwing of cigarette butts.
In the Dec. 28 incident, more than 10 firetrucks worked to put off the fire, it was learned.
Pamintuan is confident that local officials will heed the advice of the SCADC to enforce a ban on burning. They have enforced a no-billboard policy in any part of the road, he said.
“We should continue ensuring the safety of motorists. The SCTEx is a crucial artery for logistics, tourism and lifeline during emergencies,” he said.
