Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson welcomed the latest development of the proposed Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) Island Bridges Project, a major infrastructure flagship project of the Marcos administration in Western Visayas.

“They gave us a briefing on its status now,” Lacson said in an interview yesterday.

Officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and representatives of Korean joint venture engineering companies updated the governor, Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, and other concerned officials in the province about the project during their courtesy visit at the Capitol Social Hall in Bacolod City on Monday, January 22.

“We can expect up to the next 21 months the detailed engineering design [DED] for the Iloilo-Guimaras Section A and Guimaras-Negros Section B. Section A will only take one year, and Section B will take 21 months. The good news is this is already fully funded for the DED. In fact, the funding is already part of 2024 General Appropriations Act,” he added.

Last December, the DPWH, through Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain, officially signed the P2.671-billion contract agreement for the DED with the joint venture engineering companies.

Secretary Manuel Bonoan approved the contract for consultancy services of Yooshin Engineering Corp. in a joint venture with Kyong-Ho Engineering and Architects Co. Ltd., Dohwa Engineering Co. Ltd., Soosung Engineering Co. Ltd., and Dasan Consultants Co., Ltd for the DED and tender assistance.

According to the DPWH, the target completion of the DED is in 2025, and the civil works will immediately follow from 2025-2032, covering the construction of two 32.47-kilometer sea-crossing bridges.

Section A, connecting Panay-Guimaras Islands, spans 13 kilometers with an estimated civil works cost of P57.702 billion. Section B, comprising the 19.47-kilometer Guimaras-Negros Islands bridge, amounts to an indicative cost of P109.76 billion. (PNA)