The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has started the construction of the P23.9 billion Samal Island – Davao City Connector (SIDC) Project in Mindanao.
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s infrastructure team will attend next week a forum organized by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) and the MVP Group of Companies to discuss the plans and projects lined up by the government for the Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the 3.98-kilometer, 4-lane bridge will link Samal Island to Davao City, spanning the Pakiputan Strait.
Samal Island, reputedly the largest resort city in the Philippines, is two kilometers away from Davao City and could be reached by a ferry ride. The island boasts of pristine beaches and remarkable snorkeling and diving sites, with luxury to budget resorts that make for the ultimate tropical getaway.
DPWH Undersecretary Emil Sadain together with Assistant Secretary Constante Llanes Jr. and project director Rodrigo Delos Reyes of the DPWH’s Unified Project Management Office-Bridges Management Cluster inspected the two ongoing drilling boreholes.
The geotechnical plan was prepared and designed by China Road and Bridge Corp. which will have a total of 97 boreholes – 63 for Davao onshore, 18 offshore, and 16 for Samal onshore.
The project has all the necessary permits and requirements from concerned local government units and national government agencies, and both the local government units of Island Garden City of Samal and Davao City have expressed no opposition on the current bridge alignment, Bonoan said.
The forum, with the theme “The Road Ahead: Priorities for the Next 6 Years” will be held on Monday, October 10, at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
The event aims to discuss the administration’s short and medium-term plans to build and improve the country’s infrastructure, which is tagged as the economy’s backbone, according to EJAP.
Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy will share initiatives on building the country’s digital infrastructure that will make government processes and services more efficient.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista will discuss key projects for the land, sea, and air transportation sectors.
Energy Secretary Raphael Perpetuo Lotilla will shed light on the agency’s efforts to power the economic recovery by encouraging more investments in the energy sector.
Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines executive director Ma. Cynthia Hernandez will talk on her insights on high-impact and sustainable infrastructure projects that aim to spread economic growth to emerging cities and provinces.
Reuters Philippines bureau chief Karen Lerma will serve as moderator.
Reactors to the government officials’ speeches are executives from PLDT Inc. and Megawide Construction Corp., and BDO Capital and Investments Corp. president Eduardo Francisco.
“The lack of quality infrastructure has been one of the country’s development constraints. This is the reason we are looking forward to the infrastructure projects and plans of the current administration,” said EJAP president Cai Ordinario.
“I hope that this forum will be able to give us a clearer picture of the new government’s infrastructure agenda,” he said.
The forum is co-sponsored by PLDT and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. while BDO Unibank Inc. and Megawide are the major sponsors.
