The Public Works Department is reviewing the proposal of conglomerate San Miguel Corp. to build the P5.5-billion Boracay bridge project amid the environmental issues raised by some residents of the resort island.
“The project is now pending … There are concerns from locals we need to address first. There’s environmental concern,” Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said.
Villar said the agency would consider the sentiments aired by Boracay residents before acting on SMC’s bid to build a 1.2-kilometer bring connecting Boracay and Caticlan, a barangay in Malay, Aklan where the company operates an airport.
“It will really depend on locals when the project will be acceptable for them. But we are still open to it. We need to talk to the stakeholders. We cannot ignore [them],” he said.
The proposed project is a 1.2-kilometer limited-access bridge between Boracay and Caticlan. It currently takes a 15-minute boat ride to reach Boracay from Caticlan port.
San Miguel said the bridge was not envisioned to cater to vehicular through-traffic, so as not to congest the island. It will be provided with loading/unloading areas on both ends to process the movement of commuters, solid waste, goods and supplies.
San Miguel currently operates the Boracay Airport in Caticlan and is upgrading the airstrip into a world-class airport.
San Miguel president Ramon Ang earlier said building the Caticlan-Boracay bridge would be a novel approach to resolve Boracay’s environmental woes and bring about growth to other areas in Aklan.
The bridge, he said, would reduce the need for tourists and tourism workers to stay on the island.
The accessibility of Boracay, through the proposed bridge, would enable developers to build hotels and resorts outside the island. These can be premiere destinations in their own right, as these areas also boast of beautiful beaches and coastlines, he said.
New establishments can be positioned as alternative or more affordable accommodations for tourists, Ang said. He said accommodations for workers could also be built.
Ang said the construction of a bridge could also resolve the garbage and sewage problem on the island and could be used as a safe way to deliver sewage via pipes which would be built into the bridge design out of Boracay. Maintenance and repair will also be easier to manage, he said.
“This will also resolve the garbage disposal issue, as daily refuse can be easily transported out of the island, removing the need to put up a dump site,” Ang said.