By Roy Mabasa
Construction of the China-funded bridge projects across Pasig River has resumed following weeks of stoppage due to the implementation of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
(Chinese Embassy in Manila / MANILA BULLETIN)
The Chinese Embassy in Manila made this announcement in a statement shortly after the site visit of Ambassador Huang Xilian on Tuesday, June 2, 2020.
The initial resumption of work started on May 11, 2020 when its contractor, the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), started to reopen the project in compliance with the Inter-Agency Task Force-approved quarantine guidelines of 50 percent workforce capacity.
During the quarantine period, the Embassy said CRBC provided the construction staff with sufficient supplies to maintain their livelihood and to help prevent the spread of the epidemic. No confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in both construction sites.
Ambassador Huang emphasized the importance of the coordination of epidemic prevention and work resumption, stressing that all the Chinese enterprises in the Philippines should always put people first, base their work in all respects on the containment of the epidemic, categorize the staff based on a scientific approach and implement targeted management.
Designed to decongest heavy traffic in the metropolis, the two Pasig River bridge projects are the 734-meter Binondo-Intramuros Bridge that will connect the two historic Manila districts of Binondo and Intramuros and the 506-meter Estrella-Pantaleon bridge that will replace the existing bridge connecting Estrella Street in Makati City and Barangka Drive in Mandaluyong City.
“Upon request of the Philippine side, China provided (a) grant to build two bridges over the river connecting the Chinatown and Intramuros, as well as Mandaluyong and Makati cities, respectively,” the Chinese Embassy said.