THE proposed Guimaras-Negros bridge segment of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros link bridge project is still alive, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said Monday, February 15.
"That's better news than the last time where it was announced that the project was already aborted," Lacson said.
Lacson made the statement after Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar said over the weekend that they have already completed the pre-feasibility study and are now on the final stages of the feasibility study.
Lacson said Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu has also ordered for a new feasibility study to include the Third District, particularly E.B. Magalona and Victorias City, as areas where the bridge will be constructed, directly linking Negros to Iloilo.
Aside from the earlier proposal to construct the bridge in the town of Pulupandan, or in Bago City, Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer had earlier offered a suggestion to move the bridge to the town of Valladolid so as to not threaten the critical marine life living off the coast of Pulupandan and Bago City.
In August 2020, Presidential Adviser on Flagship Programs and Projects Vivencio Dizon announced the Guimaras-Negros Bridge segment of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros mega bridge project has been shelved as the government struggles to find funds to address the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dizon said the government will prioritize infrastructure projects which are already "shovel ready" or "already at the advanced stages, at the very least, of government approval."