Thousands Stranded by "Ironman"

PILI, CAMARINES SUR (23 Aug) - THOUSANDS of bus passengers along the Maharlika Highway, at the Central Bus Terminal in Naga City, and even passengers at Pili Airport were stranded for seven hours on Sunday (Aug. 22) after organizers of the triathlon sports "Ironman 70.3 Philippines" had required the closure of 42 km. of the national highway from Naga boundary in Del Rosario to the junction of Anayan, Pili; and the stretch of the Fuentebella Highway up to Tigaon, Camarines Sur.

Meanwhile, a day-care teacher in Anayan, Pili, identified as Tess Selieza, 38, sustained a head hemorrhage and is reportedly comatose at the Mother Seton Hospital after being hit by the bike of a triathlon participant.

According to reports, Selieza was hit by a bike after Wincy Garcia of Cobra King team from Quezon City, lost control of his bike and collided with the day-care teacher.

Garcia, who sustained mouth and face injuries, was confined at Mother Seton Hospital in Naga City.

Media advisory

Despite a supposed national advisory sent by Richard S. Rivera, general manager of the Camarines Sur Watersports Complex (CWC), concerning the closure of the national highway in Pili town, to bus operators in Camarines Sur and Albay and those plying the Fuentebella  Highway; many were still caught in the 7-km traffic jam stretching from Anayan, Pili up to Pawili, Bula along the Daang Maharlika.

Highway Patrol Group Provincial Director, Police Supt. Joel Rivero Dimaano, said that organizers have requested the closure of the Highway from 6:00 AM to about 11:00 AM on Sunday; he added that after 6:00 A.M most buses from Metro Manila bound for Albay and Sorsogon using the Maharlika have already passed.

But at the Central Bus Terminal in Naga City, bus dispatcher Juliet Verdejo said most of the buses from Manila arrived before 7:00 AM, while one of the Florencia buses bound for Partido and buses bound for Albay left at 5:17 AM.

The dispatcher added no other bus left early that morning until after 2:00 PM when the Maharlika Highway in Pili was again opened to traffic.

Local newsman in Pili town Gabriel Casimiro reported that drivers of buses parked along the highway in Pili proper claimed they came from Matnog port transporting passenger from the Visayas to Metro Manila; others were drivers of stranded trucks transporting fish and vegetables bound for Manila.

In the meantime, scores of passenger who have arrived via planes of Cebu-Pacific Airlines and PAL were also stranded from 7:00 AM up to 2:00 PM, while arriving planes have to wait for passengers bound for Manila until late afternoon Sunday.

The "Ironman 70.3 Philippines" has been hosted by the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur since 2009; it is to host the event until 2011 when it is supposedly transferred to another "host province."

CWC spokesman Rivera said that "the triathlon is being held here for the second time to bolster the province's rank as the extreme sports capital in Asia."

But critics here said it is about time to scout for other venues of the race, "which will not affect the national highways and inconvenience commuters' travel for many hours."