Senator Lito Lapid found himself among the thousands of motorists caught in the massive traffic jam along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) on Tuesday, arriving nearly an hour late for the Senate session after severe flooding paralyzed traffic in San Simon, Pampanga.
Lapid, who came from his home province of Pampanga, missed the opening of Day 20 of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial after spending hours on the road.
His office said the senator left Pampanga at around 4 a.m. but did not reach the Senate until about 4 p.m. because of the gridlock.
Sen. Joel Villanueva raised Lapid’s ordeal during a privilege speech as he pressed authorities and NLEX management over the traffic paralysis, which reportedly stranded some motorists for as long as 22 hours.
“I wish that our good friend Sen. Lito Lapid would also give us some information about this matter because I was told that he was totally affected coming here today… with regard to what happened in NLEX,” Villanueva said.
Lapid had spent the previous day leading relief operations in flood-hit communities across Pampanga.
Villanueva said the ordeal showed that the expressway disruption spared neither public officials nor ordinary motorists.
He urged NLEX management to waive or refund toll fees collected from motorists who were stranded during the flooding, while questioning the absence of engineering measures that could keep the expressway passable during severe weather.
Lapid was not the only senator caught in the NLEX mess.
Sen. Robin Padilla told the Senate on Monday that he had been stuck in traffic for seven hours while passing through San Simon. He also showed a video documenting the flooding and congestion.
“Umalis po kami ng 4:30 ng umaga galing po sa aming bat cave, sa tahanan… Nakalabas po kami ng San Simon 11:30 na ng tanghali. Pitong oras po… sa San Simon lang po ‘yon, hindi pa kami nakarating ng Pangasinan,” Padilla said.
“Hindi din po passable doon, 95% ng mga lugar ng San Simon ay lubog. Pagbalik po namin ng NLEX, iniisip namin baka bumaba na ‘yung tubig. Makikita niyo po sa video mas tumaas pa ‘yung tubig,” he added.SEO-optimized, witty title options:
