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[av_heading heading=’ DPWH planning for Panay-Guimaras- Negros bridge ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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ILOILO City – A team from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is coming over to start planning for the proposed Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridge.
Their output, including a technical study, will be submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), according to Public Works secretary Mark Villar who was here on Saturday for the inauguration of the Iloilo River Esplanade – Phase 3 and the Nabitasan-San Rafael bypass road.
“Hopefully by next year magbigay kami ng full submission sa NEDA (and) ma-approve…Makapagsimula na hopefully by last quarter of next year,” Villar said.
The 19-kilometer bridge, according to Villar, will be the longest in the nation.
“The longest bridge that we have in the Philippines today is two kilometers. This 19-kilometer bridge will be world-class and will become an icon,” he added.
Funding will possibly be through the Official Development Assistance (ODA), said Villar.
“’Yung Department of Finance magde-decide saan kukuha ng pondo. Kami naman sa DPWH ang implementation,” the secretary said.
Villar expressed confidence that the project will be realized within President Rodrigo 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.
Villar’s grandfather, the father of former senator Manny Villar, was from Cabatuan, Iloilo.
“We can all see the booming economy of Iloilo. Lagi kong binabanggit ang Iloilo. Sinasabi ko na kapag nag-invest tayo sa imprastraktura, tingan n’yo po ang nangyayari sa Iloilo. That is something we can replicate across the country,” he said.
It was reported in March this year that the Chinese government may fund the proposed Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridges project. Finance secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Vice Minister Fu Ziying of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce exchanged letters on two feasibility studies of nine proposed projects that could receive Chinese support.
One of the two studies was on the construction of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridges. The other was the Davao City expressway project.
Building the bridges to connect the three islands was dreamed 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.
Fu was part of the high-level Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang that met President Rodrigo Duterte in Davao City in March. A Six-Year Development Program (SYPD) for Trade and Economic Cooperation was signed.
In January 2016 during the Aquino administration, Ilonggo senator Franklin Drilon announced there would be a feasibility study for a 2.6-kilometer Iloilo-Guimaras bridge to be funded by the South Korean government.
Drilon said the project had an estimated cost of $70 million, or P3.5 billion./PN
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