San Juanico truck ban hits retailers

RETAILERS across Samar Island are grappling with widespread stock shortages following the sudden enforcement of a heavy-truck ban on the San Juanico Bridge, cutting off the region’s mainland-based supply route and prompting calls for urgent government intervention.

“The San Juanico Bridge being unpassable to trucks is a disaster to all retailers,” said Cebu-based retailer Roberto Go, spokesperson for the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA)–Cebu, in an interview on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. “They only allow 1.5 tons. A delivery truck already weighs nearly one ton, so 500 kilograms is nothing for a retailer. We are out of stock on most items — especially water and other heavy goods.”

Go, who runs Prince Hypermart stores in Catbalogan and Guiuan, explained that his warehouse is based in Tacloban, the region’s primary logistics hub.

“All distributors are based in Tacloban. With the bridge restricted, nothing can reach Samar retailers,” he said. “There was no warning so we could prepare shipping. One night the bridge was open, and then suddenly all trucks were banned. No plan,

no planning.”

Samar, he added, lacks direct shipping lanes from Cebu to most major towns. “Our shipping goes all to Tacloban but is now stuck. No ship plies Cebu-Guiuan or Cebu-Catbalogan.”

The Department of Trade and Industry declared a state of calamity in the affected areas, triggering an automatic price freeze on basic goods.

But Go said this only deepens the crisis. “Shipping through alternative routes costs more than the allowed price under price control. Suppliers won’t absorb the added cost, and retailers can’t either. So, no stocks are arriving.”

Joint business resolution

In response to the unfolding crisis, five major industry groups in Eastern Visayas have issued a Joint Resolution urging the Regional Development Council-Eastern Visayas and key national agencies to implement an Emergency Economic Mitigation Plan.

Signed by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry–Tacloban Leyte, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tacloban Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Philippine Constructors Association–Leyte Chapter, and the Drugstores Association of the Philippines, the Joint Resolution No. 01, Series of 2025, outlines the wide-ranging economic fallout caused by the abrupt bridge restrictions.

The San Juanico Bridge, completed in 1973, is the only permanent land link between Leyte and Samar and forms a key segment of the Pan-Philippine Highway (AH26). On May 8, 2025, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) ordered the bridge limited to vehicles under three tons after a structural integrity assessment. The restriction took full effect on May 14, effectively halting all large truck traffic between the two islands.

“This has caused severe disruption of supply chains across retail, agriculture, construction, and essential health logistics,” the resolution read. “The absence of alternative logistics routes and the limited capacity of existing maritime options are compounding the crisis, threatening food security, regional investment, and disaster readiness.”

Key demands from business community

The resolution urges immediate government action, including:

Declaring a state of calamity or national emergency to activate emergency powers and resources.

Allocating P900 million for bridge repairs and P5 million for upgrading Tacloban Port.

Establishing a multi-agency Emergency Response Task Force to coordinate mitigation.

Expediting the deployment and regulation of Ro-Ro shipping alternatives.

Extending financial support to affected micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Ensuring uninterrupted delivery of healthcare supplies and essential services.

The joint resolution was adopted on May 15, 2025, and has been submitted to the Office of the President, Congress and relevant national agencies.

Prioritize perishable goods

As business pressure mounts, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visited Basey, Samar, on June 11 to inspect the situation firsthand and announced immediate government responses to the disruption.

“Gagawa kami ng sistema para mauna ‘yung mga perishable goods (We will create a system to prioritize perishable goods),” Marcos said, assuring Eastern Visayas residents that the government will prioritize the passage of essential goods.

Speaking to the media at Amandayehan Port, the President recounted his conversation with a truck driver whose cargo of vegetables spoiled after waiting days for a Ro-Ro ferry.

“Siyempre hindi naman refrigerated van ‘yan. Kaya wala, nasisira ‘yung kanilang mga produkto (Of course, those aren’t refrigerated vans. So their goods end up getting spoiled),” he said.

Marcos ordered the DPWH to fast-track a load increase schedule for the San Juanico Bridge. According to DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, the bridge will be gradually reopened to heavier vehicles, moving from three tons up to 12 tons by December.

“Tacloban is such a center of commerce. Ang daming naapektuhan (So many have been affected),” Marcos noted. He explained that the sudden restriction stemmed from a structural inspection that revealed severe corrosion, buckling and salt damage—deterioration invisible from above but posing real risk of collapse.

“Iyong tulay, maganda pang tingnan if you look at it from outside. Pero sa ilalim, kalawang na lahat… Mukhang hindi talaga nagawa ang maintenance kada tatlong taon, gaya ng dapat (The bridge still looks fine from the outside. But underneath, it’s all rusted… It seems the maintenance every three years, as required, was not really done),” he said.

To alleviate immediate pressure, Marcos ordered the deployment of RoRo vessels, expansion of port capacity and enhanced coordination with local governments to manage congestion and ensure uninterrupted supply chains.

While national agencies are now mobilizing, business leaders warn that delays in planning, funding and execution could lead to long-term consequences for regional recovery and national supply chains.

“Ro-Ro alternatives may offer some relief, but costs will rise, delivery times will be longer and project timelines will be affected. The government must act swiftly and decisively,” the joint organizations emphasized.

With the San Juanico Bridge standing as a fragile economic lifeline, Eastern Visayas stakeholders say the coming weeks will determine whether the region’s commercial heartbeat can recover—or continue to deteriorate. / KOC