Negros Occidental – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has forwarded to the National and Economic Development Authority (NEDA) the Detailed Engineering Design Cost Appraisal for the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridge Project.
Secretary Mark A. Villar said that that the proposed inter-island bridge project in Western Visayas (Region VI) connecting Panay Island, Guimaras Island and Negros Island has two components:
-Section A (Panay-Guimaras) with a total length of 13 kilometers (Sea-crossing bridge length of 4.97 kilometers); and
-Section B (Guimaras-Negros) with a total length of 19.47 kilometers (Sea-crossing bridge length of 13.11 kilometers).
Initiated by a Korea Eximbank-funded grant, the Detailed Engineering Design Cost Appraisal was accomplished and submitted to NEDA on March 24, 2021.
The project cost for Section A is ₱ 65.7 billion and Section B is ₱ 123.83 billion or a total amount of ₱ 189.53 billion.
On June 8, 2020, a virtual meeting was conducted between the DPWH, Department of Finance (DOF), National and Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), and Korea Eximbank Headquarters to discuss the possible financing for the Detailed Engineering Design of the project.
Initially, the implementation agreement for the conduct of feasibility study was signed by the Chinese government and Philippine government on November 20, 2018.
The study was endorsed in 2019 to NEDA upon completion and after evaluation by the Investment Coordination Committee (ICC). The NEDA Board confirmed the approval of the ICC on January 28, 2020 for possible financing through Official Development Assistance (ODA).
But with the pandemic that has first hit China, the DPWH opted for Korea Export and Import Bank financing due to the urgency in implementing the project due to clamors from the local communities.
The Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridge is a major “Build, Build, Build” project that will help realize the Philippine National Development Plan for island-linking and provide safer, faster, and more convenient all-weather transport among the islands. (News & photo courtesy of The Daily Guardian)