By Glazyl M. Jopson
BACOLOD CITY – The construction of the Iloilo-Guimaras Bridge will experience a slight delay due to the need for a more detailed engineering study.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson disclosed the update after meeting with National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan during the inauguration of the NEDA-Negros Island Region (NIR) office last week.
Lacson said engineers must reassess the project, increasing the planned construction depth from 75 meters to 150 meters.
This requirement necessitates a review of the detailed engineering study before proceeding.
As part of his visit, Balisacan inspected the site for the Guimaras-Negros Bridge in Pulupandan town.
The detailed engineering study for the Guimaras-Negros Bridge is expected to begin six months after the completion of the Iloilo-Guimaras Bridge study.
Despite the delay, Lacson expressed confidence that the Guimaras-Negros Bridge remains a national government priority.
He is hopeful construction will begin by late 2026 or early 2027.
Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez confirmed the expected delay, noting that the seabed where the bridge will be built was found to be soft, requiring deeper foundation work.
Earlier, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas announced that the loan agreement for the Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) Bridge is expected to be signed by September this year.
In a statement on March 3, Treñas, the outgoing chairperson of the Regional Development Council’s Infrastructure Development Committee, said civil works for the project are set to begin in July 2026, with a targeted completion date of June 2028.
He clarified that only Section A, which connects Panay and Guimaras islands, will be completed by 2028.
This loan agreement follows a $56.6-million deal signed between the Philippine government and the Export-Import Bank of Korea-Economic Development and Cooperation Fund (KEXIM-EDCF) for the bridge’s engineering services.
In December 2023, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) awarded a PHP2.671-billion detailed engineering design contract to a joint venture of South Korean firms, including Yooshin Engineering Corp., Kyong-Ho Engineering and Architects Co. Ltd., Dohwa Engineering Co. Ltd., Soosung Engineering Co. Ltd., and Dasan Consultants Co. Ltd.
The Panay-Guimaras Bridge (Section A) will span 13 kilometers, including a 4.97-kilometer sea-crossing bridge connecting Leganes, Iloilo, and Buenavista, Guimaras.
DPWH has estimated the cost of this section at PHP57.702 billion.
The Guimaras-Negros Bridge (Section B) will cover 19.470 kilometers with an estimated cost of PHP109.8 billion.
Proposals for the bridge date back to a March 1999 Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) study, which recommended conducting feasibility studies for a bridge linking Iloilo and Guimaras.
The project was later identified as a priority under the Duterte administration’s Build Build Build program.
In 2018, DPWH signed a $13.4-million grant agreement with the China International Development Cooperation Agency for the project’s feasibility study.
CCCC Highway Consultants Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Co., completed the feasibility study in August 2019, outlining alignments, locations, and recommendations for the bridge.
However, in 2020, then-Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon revealed that Chinese financiers had lost interest in funding the project.
Balisacan reaffirmed the national government’s commitment to completing the inter-island bridges, emphasizing their role in boosting economic opportunities and regional connectivity.
Officials believe these projects will not only improve mobility but also drive economic growth for local communities.
