CONSTRUCTION of the P16.47-billion bridge that will connect Samal Island to Davao will begin in mid-2019 and end in 2024, an official of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said.
However, the implementation timeline appears to be only true as far as it is stated in the final report of the prefeasibility study (FS) of the Japanese firm consulted to do the pre-FS.
This was according to documents shared by DPWH Region 11 design chief Engr. Agnes Audam with members of the Davao del Norte Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) during their session on Monday.
The final report of the pre-FS, prepared by a project consortium led by Katahira and Engineers International (KEI), was submitted to Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Meti) in February 2016.
The report stated a total investment of ¥45 billion was needed for the project, or about P20.25 billion, at the current 1 yen to 45-centavo exchange rate.
Audam said that based on 2015 pricing, the total amount needed for the project was about P16.47 billion with Japanese financing of around P11 billion and Philippine government counterpart of P5.8 billion.
“Meti will recommend to Jica [Japan International Cooperation Agency] for a full-blown FS, then DPWH will endorse it to the Department of Finance through the National Economic and Development Authority [Neda] for possible funding of the FS,” said Audam, who represented Regional Director Allan Borromeo to attend the SP meeting to shed light on the status of the long-anticipated bridge project.
Department of Tourism 11 Regional Director Roberto Alabado and Neda 11 official Ma. Lourdes Lim were also “no shows” during the session, but instead sent letters pledging to Vice Gov. Alan Dujali that they will subsequently give their written reports to the legislative body.
Audam said the five-year implementation of the Davao-Samal bridge project would come during the administration of President Duterte, but the final work details would really depend on the results of the full-blown FS.
Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno in April said the funding of the full-blown FS was already approved and that the FS was already being made.
Audam said there are eight routes of the bridge considered in the KEI pre-FS study, but the most probable route of the bridge would be “somewhere in between Route 6 and Route 7 due to minimal road right-of-way acquisition”.
She said Route 6 to Route 7 on the plan’s map lies in the area from the present small wharf used in going to Paradise Island near the old airport to Chevron depot at Coaco area in Barangay Pampanga in Davao City’s side.
From any point of the said area, the bridge will span more than a kilometer connecting to an area in the old shipyard at Barangay Caliclic in Samal Island’s side.
“As to the suggested route in Panabo City, it might be considered in the full-blown feasibility study,” Audam said in response to the query on the Panabo route, considering the factor of high volume of traffic in the considered route in Davao City’s side.
But PCL representative to the SP Dan Gervacio said “the people of Samal actually don’t want to have the bridge connected to Panabo” due to the distance as they are much more interested connecting with Davao City.
Amid increasing queries from the public on the much-awaited Samal bridge, the SP earlier invited the three regional directors.
Cost of the bridge project has been increasing through the years. In 2002, or 15 years ago, the bridge was only estimated to cost P1 billion. Now it is estimated to cost P20 billion, an amount equal to the first government budget to rebuild the battle-torn Marawi City.