BAGUIO CITY – The city government here and the Benguet provincial government decided to suspend classes in all levels in their respective areas of jurisdiction to allow the opening of major road networks linking the Cordillera to other parts of Northern Luzon and avert a looming food shortage in the isolated Northern Luzon region.

The decision was reached by Mayor Reinaldo A. Bautista Jr. and Gov. Nestor Fongwan during the special meeting of the Cordillera Regional Disaster Coordinating Council at the Mansion House which was presided over by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo so as not to aggravate the current food and fuel shortage in their respective places.

According to the two officials, the suspension of classes will be from Monday to Wednesday in order to allow concerned government agencies to open the major access roads to the city and Benguet for the continuous transport of additional food supply and fuel.

The region remains isolated from the rest of the country after landslides and damages blocked major road networks during the onslaught of typhoon “Pepeng” which made three unprecedented landfalls in Northern Luzon last week.

Local officials expressed alarm over the reported lack of supply of basic commodities and fuel in Baguio City and Benguet which has already resulted in panic buying among local residents.

The CRDCC has appealed for calm. Some gasoline stations in the city and in Benguet have already closed because their supply from La Union did not arrive. Other gas stations have resorted to rationing to conserve supply.

Most groceries and supermarkets in Baguio have already run out of stocks.

Compounding the woes of the gasoline dealers is the reported inability of their tankers to traverse a portion of the road in Caba, La Union because a bridge was washed out by flood waters.

Engineer Roy Manao, regional director of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the Cordillera, admitted that the deployment of all available private and public heavy equipment along Marcos Highway, Kennon Road, Naguilian Road and Halsema Highway could not cope with the devastation.

He said the easiest roads which could be opened to vehicular traffic are probably Naguilian and Kennon roads.

Kennon Road, the scenic zigzag route leading to this mountain resort city, Naguilian and Marcos Highway are the three main arteries linking Baguio City and the Cordillera to the rest of Northern and Central Luzon.

The restoration of road cuts and the clearing of slides along Halsema Highway, popularly known as the Baguio-Bontoc-Banaue road, will take sometime, Manao explained, because of the presence of a road cut at Ambassador, Tublay, Benguet.

Meanwhile, acting Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said more agents of the National Bureau of Investigation will be deployed in typhoon-hit areas in Northern Luzon to check compliance with the price controls on basic necessities and prime commodities.

Devanadera said the agents will also crack down on groups hoarding basic goods that could create unnecessary shortage.

Devanadera said the state of calamity remains in effect in Luzon, which imposes price control on basic goods to protect consumers from unscrupulous traders taking advantage of the situation.

“Our people, the NBI agents, are still in the field except that the concentration initially is within National Capital Region not really anticipating that we will have this kind of calamity in Region 1, Region 2, and some parts of Region 3 and so we will be increasing the number of agents,” Devanadera told reporters in the Palace.

“For as long as we have set the price control, everybody has to obey that,” she added.

“We are now looking at the hoarders. Violators in public markets are small compared to the hoarders and price manipulators. Of course finding evidence of price manipulation is hard but hoarders, if you see right there that they have more stocks that what is usual,” she said.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde meantime said the state of calamity in Luzon would last until December considering the enormous task to rehabilitate the calamity areas in Luzon.

The President earlier lifted the state of calamity in Visayas and Mindanao which have been spared by the assault of storms Ondoy and Pepeng.

“The declaration of the state of calamity was done for the purpose of protecting the public interest especially the consumers. It is not to promote any ascribed dark political motives and it is not intended to stay long or forever but within the reasonable period of time to address those calamity areas,” he said.

During the CRDCC meeting, President Arroyo also ordered concerned national government agencies and local governments in the Cordillera to immediately relocate villagers who are in danger of being affected by landslides.

The Chief Executive expressed her heartfelt condolences to relatives of the 248 fatalities from Pepeng who were buried by landslides.

Mrs. Arroyo said the Benguet provincial government and the La Trinidad municipal government must already identify safe relocation sites for the over 200 families in Little, Kibungan, La Trinidad town, which was the hardest hit area in the province, and the over 50 families in Eastern Buyagan whose houses are being threatened by landslides.