During a recent meeting with the mayors of Iloilo towns affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles confirmed the Panay-Guimaras Bridge project remains a priority of the national government.
“It is one of our priorities so to speak,” he said. “It has to pass through a process.”
The cabinet official explained the project still has requirements to fulfill before construction can proceed.
Following the recent tragedy in the Iloilo Strait, where 31 died after three boats capsized between Iloilo and Guimaras, talks over the proposed Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridge project reignited with Build, Build, Build Committee Chairperson Anna Mae Lamentillo holding a press conference, noting, feasibility studies over the project remain ongoing.
She pointed out, even before the incident, the project was a priority for the government and said they are anticipating a conclusion to the feasibility studies by the end of the year.
Chinese state-owned consultancy firm CCCC Highway Consultants Co. Ltd., is the company hired to survey the proposal.
Last March, based on information from a letter signed by CCCC-Philippines General Manager Lyu Gaohu, the feasibility study on the project is part of technical assistance provided by the People’s Republic of China.
He said the implementation agreement of the project was signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Rodrigo Duterte during the latter’s state visit last November./WDJ