DAVAO CITY – Vice President-elect Sara Duterte thanked her father President Duterte for starting the Samal Island-Davao City Connector Project after his administration snagged a multi-billion peso loan agreement from the Chinese government.
“Nagpapasalamat kami sa Duterte administration dahil they really endeavored na masimulan ang Samal Island-Davao City Connector Project. Hopefully, in the next three to four years, we’ll see that bridge already,” Vice President Duterte said in a press conference here Monday, June 21.
She added that the bridge project will greatly benefit the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS), a tourist destination, and interested visitors who want to explore Davao City as “it will make it very convenient for them that we have a bridge project.”
Last June 13, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian exchanged with Finance Secretary Dominguez the signed Framework Agreement and Loan Agreement between the Philippines and China for a loan grant worth $350 million or P18.67 billion to build the bridge.
The entire project will cost P19.321 billion, mostly financed by the Chinese loan.
Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain said the groundbreaking has been initially scheduled for next month and the construction will start this year.