Marawi’s Mapandi Bridge reopens after a month of explosives check

THE 1.4-KILOMETER route to and from Marawi City via the Mapandi Bridge was reopened yesterday after a month of closure, the Joint Task Force (JTF) Ranao announced. The bridge, a major access point, was closed last Aug. 5 after teams from the military’s Engineers and Explosives and Ordnance Division (EOD) discovered three possible Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) entry points along the route. Teams from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, led by engineers, excavated each of the three sites by up to six meters to ensure that there are no UXO buried before declaring these safe. The route will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and will still have checkpoints. Valid government identification cards are required for presentation.