Drive vs overloaded trucks heightened in Cagayan Valley

By Leander C. Domingo

DIADI, Nueva Vizcaya -- The Regional Development Council (RDC) in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) announced its move to strictly implement the Anti-Overloading Law to help preserve the integrity of roads and bridges on the national highway.
    Nueva Vizcaya Gov. Carlos Padilla said the implementation of the said measure, also known as Republic Act (RA) 8794, "will alleviate the heavy traffic faced by the travelers and citizens caused by overloaded cargo trucks and haulers."
Isabela Gov. Rodito Albano also concurred.
    Padilla said this was agreed upon during the RDC meeting at the Lower Magat Eco-Tourism Park in this town.
    "I am calling for the strict enforcement of laws against overloaded trucks to stop the fast deterioration of national roads and bridges, particularly in Nueva Vizcaya," Padilla said.
    He said he has already addressed this call to the Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Police Office headed by Col. Camlon Nasdoman and now to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
    One of the steps by the RDC during the meeting is to form a composite team of representatives from the DPWH, LTO, the Philippine National Police, and the local government units (LGUs).
    "These government agencies, including the LGUs, will have to guard the weighing stations. They will also stop and fine the overloaded trucks traveling along the national highway in Cagayan Valley," Padilla said.
    Cagayan Valley comprises the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Batanes.
    During the RDC meeting, the DPWH reported that more than 98 percent of the trucks passing through different road networks in Nueva Vizcaya were overloaded and that no apprehension was made.
    Based on data from the DPWH weighing station in Barangay Calitlitan in Aritao town in this province, 13,791 out of the 13,963 weighed cargo trucks, or 98.77 percent, were overloaded from July 2022 to December 2022.