Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), chaired by Manuel V. Pangilinan, is currently looking at the possibility of building a bridge that will connect Cordova, Cebu to Bohol.
This is after Gov. Gwen Garcia reportedly asked Pangilinan to consider the idea of building a bridge from Cordova to Bohol.
BREAKING THE NEWS
The development was announced by Allan Alfon, president of Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway Corp. (CCLEC), a subsidiary of MPTC.
In a webinar hosted by Cebu-based newspaper The Freeman entitled “Building Back Better,” Alfon said that the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) is now examining the probability of the project.
“Feasibility study is ongoing,”
HE REITERATED.
The company is considering to bid for the Cebu-Bohol bridge, which will link the two islands via Cordova or Olango Island and Getafe, a municipality in northern part of Bohol.
STILL IN ANALYSIS
However, according to Pangilinan, they still have to ensure that the project is a practical decision, considering that the project could cost around ₱90 billion.
“That’s a ₱90-billion project. The key there is really financing of it because it’s a very big project for us,” Pangilinan said. “I think we have to find out first how we’re going to finance it. There is some chance that financing could be raised for the feasibility study.”
Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) President Rodrigo E. Franco mentioned that his office will look into the project and see how it can be commercially feasible for the group.
“Viability is the issue because the project cost is high. We’re looking for ways to make that viable. If there are ways in the financing side to make it viable, we will look at it,”
FRANCO SAID.
Both Pangilinan and Franco did not provide more details after.
In 2019, the project was dubbed as one of the “impossible” projects by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), through its director-general Ernesto Pernia. He pointed out that such project is going to be “costly” because of technological limitations.
The project was estimated to cost ₱52.62 billion back then, and will be supposedly funded by an overseas development assistance (ODA) loan.
The purpose of the bridge must be to connect cebu – Bohol. mactan are already connected.
This will impact the economy and future developing for both sides of the bridge. Cebu will let pressure on building areas pushed over to Bohol, lowering prices for them and open new opportunities and workplaces for Bohol. For the government more taxes and business will be born. That is the purpose with bridges.
This is really a possible project and the ROI will be in short period of time. Come to think of it that people want to go to Bohol will prefer for land trip compared to Fast craft for safety because it will be typhon & storm free. Likewise all the cargos will not be shipped by ship but by land. The cons it that the shipping business will not make money anymore.
I love this project. How I wish this project would become a reality. A dream being a Bisdak to connect all inter islands in the Visayas. National Government please hear our prayers.
Cordova kuno nya ang mapa nag connect sa marigondon. way klaro.
hope this will come true but first finish all the segments of metro cebu expressway faster
It’s an “impossible project” because it’s located in the province, and the imperial government of Manila don’t really care what is important for the countryside. They spend trillions and trillions of pesos in Luzon based infrastructure and offer crumbs to the provinces. That has been the mantra of the Manila-centric government of the Philippines since time immemorial. That is why they don’t want federalism because they want to keep holding the regions outside Luzon by the neck, susceptible to their whims. Since the 1980’s people in Visayas and Mindanao have been “begging” for large ticket infrastructure to spur economic growth, and the best that was done were the nautical highway which is still a bottleneck even at this point in time. We had a president from the south (Duterte) but he was alone in trying to build large scale bridges in the Vis-Min area, but still Manila got trillions in infrastructure budgeting. The disparity is horrendous. I hope the BBM-Sara administration would take another look at this.
let’s make bridges from one province to another province. regions to another regions.. up until we can travel by road from north to south.!. woohoo!!. lets use the pork barrels, funds and budgets that went directly straight to the cohorts, politicians, officials’ pockets instead..
This is looking to be another great project. I’m certain that if this pushes through that Metro Pacific is the right guy to do it.