When most residents of Metro Manila were on vacation elsewhere due to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Conference, Assistant Secretary Eugenio Pipo was on field inspecting damages caused by typhoons that recently hit the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). He inspected Kennon Road where numerous slides occurred during the onset of several typhoons and the Habagat.
The Uabac section at Camp 7, Kennon Road was damaged during Typhoon “Egay” on July 5, 2015 and was close to traffic due to soil collapse and damaged slope protection. The damage was aggravated by Typhoon Goring and the Habagat where 1,000 cubic meters of soil collapsed and fallen trees covered the road. Typhoon Ineng further brought down 25,000 cubic meters of soil totally closing Kennon Road on August 22, 2015. On September 2, 2015, the section was opened to one-lane traffic and on September 18, 2015 to two-lane traffic. The wrath of Typhoon Lando caused 240 cubic meters of mudslide on October 19, 2015 resulting to the closure of Kennon Road which was finally opened on October 22, 2015.
An amount of ₱48,750,000.00 was requested for the permanent solution in stabilizing the road slope. ₱44,501,490.00 was released on November 24, 2015.
The Demonstration Bridge at Camp 6 was totally covered with 6,000 cubic meters of debris from the mountain side. It was punch thru opened on October 19, 2015 and officially opened on October 28, 2015.
The washed out section at Camp 4 where four people perished was also cleared. During the inspection of Director Dequito with BCDEO DE Alexander Castaneda, Engineer Edgardo Enriquez, Engr. Oscar Guya along Kennon Road on October 20,215, just after typhoon Lando, the site before us looked so gloomy and hopeless, it looked like it would take a long time to open Kennon Road but just after a week with the heavy equipment from the NCR, Region IV-A, Tarlac 1st DEO, EMD R-1 of Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan and from Benguet 1st DEO, Kennon Road was finally opened to traffic.