Govt flagship project in Mindanao hits snag

THE longest sea-crossing bridge in Northern Mindanao that will connect Misamis Occidental and Lanao del Norte will not be completed as scheduled on the first half of the year due to funding challenges in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 2023 and 2024 national budget.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan disclosed on Wednesday, February 21, that according to Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain, incharge of the DPWH infrastructure flagship projects under the “Build, Better, More” program of the Marcos administration, the Pangil Bridge Project is 89-percent complete but is hobbled by funding challenges and calamities that recently hit the area.

The bridge project is one of the flagship infrastructure programs of the Marcos administration.

But in the same report, Bonoan pointed out that despite the challenges, Sadain has given his assurance that the project would be completed at the end of the year.

“Nonetheless, we are optimistic that the implementing office, [the] Unified Project Management Office-Roads Management Cluster II (Multilateral), together with the contractors and consultants, will be able to make up for the unprecedented delays brought by absence of sufficient funding and bad weather conditions in Mindanao the last several days to finish the Panguil Bay Bridge Project in a few months from now,” added Bonoan, quoting reports submitted by the implementing office.

The P7.37-billion Pangil Bay Bridge is funded under a loan deal between the Philippine government and South Korea through the Economic Development Cooperation Fund.

Korean joint venture contractor NamKwang-Kukdong Gumgwang is the contractor of the bridge, which spans 3.17-kilometer long.

Once completed, the bridge will connect Tangub City, Misamis Occidental, and Tubod, Lanao del Norte, and cut travel time between the localities to seven minutes from the current average of two hours by land or via roll-on, rolloff sea vessel.

By reducing travel time, the bridge is expected to bring many benefits to the local economy and conveniences for businesses and the general public in Northern Mindanao.

“This valuable infrastructure project will greatly enhance economic growth as it will serve as a vital gateway that connects and further strengthens the region’s infrastructure, providing seamless transportation of goods and services,” said Sadain.