1 week ago
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ILOILO CITY — The construction of the 32.47-kilometer Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) island bridges project is scheduled to start in July 2026, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas announced on Monday.
Treñas, who also chairs the infrastructure committee of the Regional Development Council Western Visayas (RDC-6), confirmed this following an RDC-6 meeting on Monday.
"I am proud to share that after years of hard work, the dream of connecting Panay, Guimaras and Negros through a bridge is finally coming true [...] This project is more than just infrastructure — it's a bridge to opportunity, progress and a better life for our people," Treñas said in a statement.
The RDC-6 official also shared that the signing of the loan agreement for the bridge's civil works is targeted in September this year. The interisland bridge is eyed for completion and opening in June 2028.
The PGN bridge consists of two main sections.
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Section A is a 13-kilometer bridge connecting Leganes, Iloilo, to Buenavista, Guimaras. Section B is a 19.47-kilometer bridge connecting San Lorenzo, Guimaras, to Pulupandan, Negros Occidental.
The total project is valued at approximately P189 billion. The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Kexim) will reportedly fund the construction of Section A.
Section A of the bridge costs an estimated P57 billion, while Section B is projected to cost P109.8 billion for civil works.
In April 2022, the national government signed a loan agreement with Kexim to fund the engineering services, including preliminary design, detailed engineering design (DED) and procurement assistance for the project.
The DED for Section A is nearly complete at 90.42 percent as of January 2025. The interim DED was submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority late last year.
Meanwhile, the DED for Section B is at 66.66 percent and is expected to be completed by December 2025.
Once completed, the project will significantly reduce travel time between Panay and Negros from three to four hours to less than one hour, enhancing regional connectivity and economic growth.
