CANDABA - Motorists traversing the Candaba-Sta Ana-Baliuag road along the portion of Pansol in Pasig village here are complaining about the proliferation of turtles in the main road particularly during night time.
Joseph Meneses, a tricycle driver, said the presence of the turtles in the national road could trigger accidents.
"Big turtles are scattered every night especially when rains come. Others were hit by traversing jeepneys and trucks. The problem for motorists is that turtles' shell is hard, if we hit them, for sure it will be an accident for us," Meneses added in vernacular.
Hilario Mallari, a fishpond caretaker in the area, said that the turtles are coming from the neighboring streams and other small bodies of water in Pansol.
"They said someone freed those little turtles but I don't know for what reason. When those turtles grow, they come out and traverse on roads," he said in vernacular.
"Turtles do not just give problems. They also give benefits to people. Some make them as source of food, some sell them to businessmen," he added.
However, other residents blamed a certain fishpond operator, which they refused to identify, as responsible for the turtles.
They said the latter cultured the turtles for business purposes.
As this developed, the motorists asked local authorities to find ways on how to prevent turtles from coming out to national roads. (Herbert P. Mapiles of Sun.Star Pampanga/Sunnex)