Skip to main content

Head of San Miguel moots a Philippines bridge project in Boracay

The president of infrastructure group San Miguel has mooted that a 2km toll bridge be built to connect the small island holiday resort of Boracay with the Larger Panay Island. Boracay - just over 10km2 - is an increasingly popular international tourist destination around 315km south of the Philippine capital Manila and 2km off the northwest tip of Panay in Western Visayas island group. The island is blessed with exceptionally white sand beaches and is administered by the Philippine Tourism Authority and
June 8, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The president of infrastructure group San Miguel has mooted that a 2km toll bridge be built to connect the small island holiday resort of Boracay with the Larger Panay Island.

Boracay - just over 10km2 - is an increasingly popular international tourist destination around 315km south of the Philippine capital Manila and 2km off the northwest tip of Panay in Western Visayas island group. The island is blessed with exceptionally white sand beaches and is administered by the Philippine Tourism Authority and the provincial government of Aklan.

The bridge would run from the town of Caticlan to Boracay, said San Miguel president Ramon Ang in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper. The cost would be around US$100 million, he reportedly said.

“We proposed the idea to them [local authority]…,” said Ang. Tourism would be greatly boosted for both islands because a road would mean people headed for Boracay could stay in Caticlan overnight and not have to choose between one island and the other.

“We think what’s best is if everybody could stay and eat in Caticlan and go to Boracay to enjoy the beach,” Ang said.

Caticlan airport has recently been upgraded to accommodate the largest of jets.

San Miguel is one of the largest Philippines corporations, focused mainly on food but is branching out into infrastructure, power, mining and general construction work.

Earlier this year, the Philippines government said it might separate a 47km six-lane road construction element near Manila from a complicated land reclamation and dike development contract recently shunned by preferred bidders.

San Miguel Holdings was among the pre-qualified consortia. Others were Trident Infrastructure and Development consortium – consisting of SM Prime Holdings, Megaworld, Ayala Land and Aboitiz Equity Ventures – and the Alloy-PAVI LLEDP consortium.

None of the three qualified bidders for the Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike public-private partnership deal submitted final bids for the contract. There were concerns over the legality of reclaiming 700 ha of land and whether investors could make money from it.

Related Content

  • Vietnam planning new highway link for Vung Ang and Ham Nghi in Ha Tinh
    May 18, 2016
    Vietnam is working on plans to develop a new highway in Ha Tinh. The proposal has been put forward by the Project Management Board Unit 85. The new highway would connect Vung Ang and Ham Nghi in Ha Tinh. A request has been lodged by the Project Management Board Unit 85 for funds worth US$232.56 million from build-operate-transfer investors and $94 million from State budget funds. Under the project, three additional bridges and 13 core bridges would be constructed. The project requires $299.64 million in
  • Chinese funding for Philippines transport projects
    March 27, 2017
    Two of the biggest transport development projects in the Philippines will now benefit from Chinese funding. The projects are for the construction of a new bridge connection joining the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Islands as well as the Davao City Expressway, which will stretch a distance of 23km and provide a link between the Carlos P Garcia National Highway and Bangkal, Panacan and Sta Ana Wharf. The Davao City Expressway project is expected to cost close to US$ 488 million and will be carried out in three stag
  • Alberta halts PPP contract use after a major projects review
    May 9, 2016
    The Canadian province of Alberta has put a halt to further public-private partnership projects pending a provincial government cabinet decision on their use. Alberta infrastructure minister Brian Mason said the New Democratic Party government isn’t declaring a moratorium on P3s. However, he said that he plans to stick to the traditional methods of funding as he launches a five-year US$27 billion capital construction programme. The Calgary Sun newspaper quoted Mason saying “there are real questions abo
  • Bidding is healthy for a contract for the I-77 Interstate highway in the US state of North Carolina with Spanish firms competing
    April 4, 2012
    Bidding is healthy for the I-77 Interstate highway project in the US state of North Carolina. This 47km highway runs from the city of Charlotte to Mooresville and the contract will be for a 50 year period. Spanish construction companies ACS, OHL and Ferrovial are all amongst the bidder for the US$501.5 million package, which includes construction, maintenance and. French firm Vinci has formed a partnership with US companies Parsons, Archer Western and Blythe Construction. ACS has ACS formed a consortium wit