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[av_heading heading=’‘Mega bridge project will push through‘’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY CAROLYN JANE ABELLO
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January 29, 2018
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ILOILO City – A bridge project connecting the islands of Panay, Guimaras and Negros will push through, announced Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.
“No timeline but I know it’s a go,” he said at a press briefing yesterday after attending the ati-ati tribes competition of the Dinagyang Festival.
Roque represented President Rodrigo Duterte who failed to grace the Dinagyang due to his tight schedule.
Phase 1 of the project would be the construction of a bridge connecting Panay Island (via Iloilo City or province) to Guimaras.
Roque said building the bridge is one of the big ticket projects of the Duterte administration.
Phase 2 of the project would be the bridge connecting Guimaras to Negros while Phase 3 is the bridge connecting Negros Oriental to the island of Cebu.
Roque did not say how much would the mega bridge project cost. Ilonggo senator Franklin Drilon previously said a 2.6-kilometer Iloilo-Guimaras bridge was estimated cost around $70 million or P3.5 billion.
“The bridge would further spur the growth of Panay, Guimaras and Negros,” said Iloilo’s Gov . Arthur Defensor Sr. yesterday.
The Chinese government was interested to finance the bridges, it was reported last year.
According to the Department of Finance (DOF), the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridges were among the 12 Philippine projects that the Chinese government identified for funding.
During a visit to Iloilo City in August 2017, Public Works secretary Mark Villar expressed confidence that the project would be realized within President Duterte’s term.
“May five years pa si Presidente, definitely within his term. Pipilitin namin matapos by the end of the President’s term,” he said.
Building bridges to connect Panay, Guimaras and Negros was proposed way back during the administration of then President Corazon Aquino but none of the administrations that succeeded hers managed to concretize the plan for lack of funds./PN
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