San Miguel Corp. (SMC) is in talks with the local government of Mindoro to construct a 15-kilometer super bridge that will link Mindoro island with mainland Luzon through Batangas province.
The project, which is included in the 10 programs of the Marcos administration for public-private partnership, was first proposed by Oriental Mindoro Rep. Alfonso Umali in 2015 and is currently being pushed by Governor Humerlito Dolor in a bid to help spur growth and development in Oriental Mindoro and the entire MIMAROPA (Mindoro Oriental and Occidental, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) region post-pandemic.
“We have started bringing together global experts across disciplines, including a European architectural and engineering firm to do a technical feasibility study on how the bridge can be built sustainably to benefit both people and the environment,” Ramon Ang, SMC president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
He said since his last meeting with Dolor late last year, SMC’s team has engaged the services of a local company to initially do a bathymetric survey to measure water depth.
The bridge will start from Barangay Ilijan in Batangas, and pass through Verde Island and land in Barangay Sinandigan in Puerto Galera.
The bridge is seen to result in faster and more efficient transport of people and goods and spur local economic growth through job generation, higher investments and optimization of basic services such as water, power and telecommunications, among others. – Myla Iglesias
