By CESAR JOLITO III
After decades of being shelved and revisited across multiple administrations, the long-awaited bridges that will connect the islands of Panay, Guimaras and Negros may finally break ground by 2026, according to former Senate President Franklin Drilon.
Speaking at the general membership meeting of the Management Association of the Philippines on Friday, August 29, Drilon said bidding preparations are underway following the completion of the detailed engineering design (DED) by South Korean firm Yooshin Engineering Corp.
“We hope the start of the project is one year from now,” Drilon said, noting that the initiative has been on the drawing board for more than 50 years.
The multibillion-peso bridge project is expected to drastically improve connectivity in Western Visayas and Negros Island Region, boosting trade, tourism and regional development by linking the three islands.
The idea of constructing the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridges dates back to the late 20th century.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency conducted the first feasibility study in 1999, but the project stalled in the 2000s when the Arroyo administration prioritized the Roll-On, Roll-Off port system.
It resurfaced during the Aquino administration and was strongly pushed by Drilon when he was Senate President.
Under the Duterte administration, the bridges were listed among the flagship Build, Build, Build projects, with the Chinese government conducting another feasibility study — though it failed to progress beyond the planning stage.
Momentum picked up again in 2022 when the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secured a $56.6-million loan from South Korea to fund DED, a key step toward actual construction.
Earlier, DPWH said the DED of the bridges is already 84.10 percent completed.
The design of Segment A, or the Panay-Guimaras portion of the bridge, is already 93.60 percent completed, while Segment B, or the Guimaras-Negros component, stands at 77.60 percent, DPWH said.
Section A of the bridge spans 13 kilometers, connecting Panay to Guimaras with a 4.840-kilometer sea-crossing bridge.
Meanwhile, Section B will connect Guimaras to Negros, featuring a 19.47-kilometer stretch, including a 13.190-kilometer sea-crossing bridge.
With an estimated cost of P189 billion, the project is among the 12 bridges nationwide that will be constructed under the Mega-Bridge Program component to connect the islands and areas of the country separated by water./With reports from PIA / CJ, WDJ