Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre has responded to Vice President Sara Duterte's belittling of the San Juanico Bridge in Eastern Visayas by explaining the deep connection that the structure has with Filipinos.

In a statement Monday, June 23, Acidre noted that people have been talking a lot about the iconic bridge built by the first Marcos administration, though some with cynicism.

Commenting on the topic was Vice President Duterte, who reportedly was annoyed when she saw on her flight to Australia an advertisement promoting San Juanico Bridge--which connects Leyte and Samar islands--as a tourist destination.

“Paano naging tourist spot ang 2.6-kilometer (km) na bridge? Ang bridge sa China papunta sa Shenzhen, papunta sa Macau, papunta sa Hong Kong, gaano kahaba? 264 km. Yun ang tourist spot. Yun ang modernization. Yun ang infrastructure. Hindi ang 2.6 km na ngayon nagkakagulo pa [kung] paano ayusin,” she told Duterte supporters in Melbourne.

(How did a 2.6-kilometer bridge become a tourist spot? The bridge in China that connects to Shenzhen, Macau, and Hong Kong how long is that? 264 km. That’s what you call a tourist attraction. That’s modernization. That’s infrastructure. Hot this 2.6 km bridge we’re still scrambling to fix.)

Acidre says San Juanico Bridge is actually 2.6 kilometers long, while the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge is 55 kilometers long.

Acidre says for him, the Eastern Visayas structure is “more than just a tourist attraction…It’s more than a ribbon of steel and concrete stretching across the San Juanico Strait. The San Juanico Bridge is a powerful symbol of progress.”

“It was built during a time when our country dared to dream big, when our leaders imagined something bold and beautiful, and they actually made it happen. We didn’t just build a bridge; we built a statement. A statement that we, too, could rise, create, and inspire. It was a marvel of engineering in its time, and even today, it continues to awe,” said the Visayas solon.

He further pointed out that the structure was also a reminder “that there was a time when the Philippines was ahead of the curve in Asia, when we were showing others what was possible.

It was a season of ambition. A moment when we believed that the best days of our country lay just ahead, he said.

Acidre added that the San Juanico Bridge is likewise a symbol of peace, healing and reconciliation.

“Not everyone knows this, but the San Juanico Bridge was financed through the war reparation payments of Japan. Imagine that. Decades after the devastation of World War II, two nations, once enemies, found common ground. They found the courage to look forward, to invest in peace, and to rebuild trust,” he stressed.

“The bridge isn’t just a piece of infrastructure; it’s a testimony that even the deepest wounds can heal, that forgiveness and partnership are possible. It teaches us that peace isn’t just the absence of conflict. It’s the act of building something new, something better, together. And more than anything, it is a symbol of unity,” he said.

The Tingog Party-list lawmaker added that House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who represents the first district of Leyte, knows too well the importance and legacy of San Juanico Bridge.

That is why the leader of the House of Representatives “has been quietly but persistently working behind the scenes to make sure that the San Juanico Bridge isn’t left behind, Acidre emphasized.

“He knows its importance, not just as a lawmaker, but as a son of this region. He understands that this isn’t just about fixing a bridge; it’s about preserving a legacy, restoring faith, and reigniting a sense of pride. That’s why he’s not only pushing for the bridge’s immediate rehabilitation, but is also advocating for something even more visionary: the construction of a second San Juanico Bridge. Because in a time when others build walls, we should be the ones building bridges, literally and figuratively,” Acidre said.

He said President Marcos “understands this as well.

“Because anyone whose roots in Eastern Visayas truly run deep knows the promise of this region, and believes in its future. He knows that real leadership isn’t about playing the blame game. It’s not about revisiting the mistakes of yesterday. It’s about boldly choosing the path toward a better tomorrow, he added.