AT the landslide-hit Sitio Kipulot, Barangay Palapacao, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is constructing a concrete step ladder complete with solar lights.

The project aims to ease transfers for travelers commuting between Davao, Bukidnon, and Cagayan de Oro.

A DPWH-10 public information officer Novie Cabrido said the P1.1 million project includes handrails and solar lights to ensure safety for travelers making the transfer from one bus to another at night.

“Depending it rain heavily, we are expecting the construction to be finished by this weekend,” Cabrido said.

Secretary Vince Dizon ordered the construction during his Oct. 21 visit. He made the directive after observing commuters struggling along the muddy trail beside a temporary diversion road created hastily for motorcycles and pedestrians.

CONCRETE STEPS TO SAFETY. DPWH workers construct the P1.1 million concrete step ladder at the Sitio Kipulot landslide site in Quezon, Bukidnon. The ladder, complete with handrails and solar lights, will ease the difficult transit for commuters traveling the Cagayan de Oro-Davao route. Photo courtesy of DPWH-10

Dizon ordered the ladder finished as quickly as possible. He also instructed DPWH engineers to conduct soil tests and design a permanent new highway alignment to normalize vehicular traffic.

Cabrido added that the DPWH 10 regional office has finished the design for the new highway and submitted the necessary documents to the central office in Manila for approval.

The project follows a major landslide on Oct. 17 that cut off a main section of the Cagayan de Oro-Bukidnon-Davao highway, linking Northern Mindanao and Eastern Mindanao.

The tragedy claimed the lives of a couple, Ely and Thelma Ubatay, who were riding a motorized tricycle, or ‘baobao.’ They were swept away by the slide, and their bodies were recovered several days later.