Duterte envisions bridge network for Visayas

CORDOVA, Cebu – President Duterte wants to build a network of bridges that will connect the Visayas provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Negros, and Leyte.

Duterte, who led the groundbreaking for the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), the third bridge that links mainland Cebu to the island of Mactan, said he wants to see a nation with bridges, especially for short distances.

“Maybe in the years to come, we will see a nation with bridges, connectconnect na lang na for short distances. But far and between the wide expanse of the sea, it will take generation. But hopefully, ang unang molarga gyud diri about the island of bridges will really be the Visayas,” Duterte said.

The President said the third bridge, which is eight kilometers long and worth about R27 billion, is the start of such plan and his way of thanking the Cebuanos and the Filipino people for giving him an unprecedented victory in the last election.

Manuel V. Pangilinan, chairman of Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corporation (MPTDC), the project proponent, said Cebu needs one more bridge and hopes it would be finished during Duterte’s term.

Metro Pacific Tollways will build the CCLEX under a Public-Private Partnership program.

He said Cordova could become the major gateway for tourism in Cebu because of the bridge. Pangilinan added that the project will generate at least 5,000 jobs during its construction.

He also said he had discussed with Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto a proposal to build a bridge between Cebu and Bohol.

“Earlier, Gov. Edgar Chatto told me that a bridge should link the islands of Cebu and Bohol, and I said, absolutely!” he said.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) board has in fact approved the 17.5-kilometer Bohol-Cebu Friendship Bridge. A feasibility study is underway, including the pre-engineering work.

Pangilinan said there should be a broader plan to link the islands of Eastern Visayas.