ILOILO CITY – Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon is not hopeful that the proposed bridges connecting Panay, Guimaras, and Negros will be built under the term of President Duterte.
“There is simply no time. The Panay-Guimaras-Negros is an undelivered commitment to the people of three islands of Western Visayas – Iloilo,
Guimaras, and Negros. Its construction will be left to the next administration,” Drilon said.The three proposed bridges are supposed to be included in the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program.But
Drilon found that the project is still in the pre-feasibility stage after meeting with Chairman Vince Dizon of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority. This was confirmed by Secretary Mark Villar of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in a separate statement on his social media page.
The three proposed bridges have been in the drawing board for almost 50 years. With the previous announcement of the Duterte administration that it is a priority project, residents and officials were given renewed hope for smooth travel between the islands.
“The bridges are the dream of the people of Western Visayas. The lack of inter-connectivity is a stumbling block to the region’s growth and development. We must address the lack of connectivity to transport our agricultural products between Panay, Guimaras, and Negros,” Drilon added.