Building bridges for ‘One Visayas’

A land and sea connection between Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and Samar is slowly becoming a reality, and it is mind-boggling to even think about. What was once the stuff of dreams for people in the Visayas has provided the blueprint for big-ticket projects of this administration. The sheer scope and breadth of these mega projects could dwarf many of the recent infrastructure projects built by the government in partnership with the private sector.

Once constructed, the network of bridges, viaducts, and expressways will transport tourists from Boracay in Panay to Biri in Samar without the need for connecting flights that only lengthen the trip and cost more money.

Growing up as an islander, I was always surrounded by the sea. The beach had become our favorite playground, but there were moments when we felt like we were being held captive by the sea. During inclement weather, this water barrier separated us from the rest of the country. In both literal and metaphorical terms, it prevented many of my peers from pursuing their dreams of making it big in a city far from our island home.

Imagine that this reality has been a shared experience of people in the central part of our archipelago, where the number of white-sand beaches and local attractions is inversely proportional to the number of available—and reliable—ferry services.

The periodic isolation that happens especially during the monsoon season hampers trade and commerce, which explains in part why Central Visayas had the most number of poor people in the first semester of 2023 (2.56 million or a poverty incidence of 31 percent), while Eastern Visayas had a much higher poverty incidence (33.7 percent), according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Viewed in this context, the Neceboley mega project, valued at $15 billion, has the potential to be a game changer in the Visayas. Neceboley is an acronym for Negros Oriental, Cebu, Bohol, and Southern Leyte, four large island provinces that are also major tourist destinations. Once fully constructed from Negros to Leyte, it will have a major impact on Philippine tourism.

Project proponent Visayas Neceboley Interlink Holdings Corp. (VNIHC) has partnered with the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Co. to connect these islands through a network of all-weather bridges and expressways spanning 238.05 kilometers. Engineering and preconstruction activities are scheduled to start this year. The Inquirer reported that VNIHC would build Neceboley under a public-private partnership framework.

Initial designs, although they will still undergo a formal feasibility study, show that a suspension bridge will connect the economic hubs of Dumaguete City (southern tip of Negros) and Cebu province through Santander town in the south.

An expressway will be built from the currently traffic-clogged route of Santander to Naga City in central Cebu, while causeways and viaducts will lead to Cordova town on Mactan Island. From there, the route will pass through the scenic northern towns of Bohol through an industrial zone aqualink (consisting of bridges and viaducts). A tollway from the towns of Jetafe and Ubay connects to the Ubay-Maasin Fixed Link, which leads to a beam bridge that ends in Maasin City, the capital of Southern Leyte.

‘One Visayas’. The mega project will transform the separate islands into “One Visayas.” But Neceboley cannot achieve it without the help of another massive project, the P189-billion Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges Project (PGN). Just like Neceboley, bridges will be constructed to link southern Panay and Guimaras Islands and northern Negros. The Department of Public Works and Highways in Western Visayas has already awarded Segments 1 and 2 of PGN to a consortium, which is tasked with creating a detailed engineering design for these 32.47 km mega bridges.

The significance of these mega projects cannot be overstated. But it’s equally important to protect the Danajon Bank Double Barrier Reef on the northern coast of Bohol while designing the Cordova-Jetafe aqualine and reclaiming 568-hectare foreshore and offshore areas.

Impact on tourism. What makes Neceboley a game changer? Tourism will benefit from the connectivity and mobility that come with connecting islands by bridges. Right now, the unpredictable weather, poor maintenance of boats and ferries, and mixing both cargo and passengers have made interisland transport undesirable and less friendly for tourists and commuters alike.

Moreover, the usual complaint of tourists is how to get from point A to point B in this archipelago in one piece and without losing one’s sanity. It’s not difficult to see that flying back to Manila is a faster option instead of taking the lengthy route through land and sea in the Visayas, which could take days and quickly deplete one’s patience. This is a legacy of the Manila-centric development pursued by our colonial overlords who controlled the archipelago from the capital.

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For comments: lim.mike04@gmail.com; @umichaell