San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is looking to advance its plan to link Mindoro Island with mainland Luzon through Batangas province.
SMC said that it is currently in talks with the local government of Mindoro in regard to its intention of constructing a 15-kilometer super bridge that will link Mindoro to Batangas. The company shared that it is coordinating with Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito Dolor for the said Mindoro-Batangas super bridge.
The said project is included in the 10 public-private-partnership (PPP) of the Marcos Administration. Of note, the super bridge project was first proposed in 2015 by Oriental Mindoro Congressman Alfonso Umali.
SMC president and CEO Ramon S. Ang said that the company is already taking action to make the Mindoro-Batangs super bridge a reality. Ang noted that SMC has created a team of global experts including a European architectural and engineering firm.
“We have started bringing together global experts across disciplines, including a European architectural and engineering firm to do a technical feasibility study on how the bridge can be built sustainably to benefit both people and the environment,” Ang said.
Ang also sat down with Gov. Dolor last November 2022 to discuss the next steps for the Mindoro-Batangas super bridge. And noted that SMC has also started to do a bathymetric survey to measure water depth.
The 15-km Mindoro-Batangas super bridge will start from Barangay Ilijan in Batangas, and pass through Verde Island, and land in Barangay Sinandigan in Puerto Galera.
“We thank Gov. Dolor for pursuing this game-changing project and considering our company to be able to deliver a world-class bridge. It has faced a series of setbacks over the years but we hope that together we can finally bring the vision to fruition,” Ang added.
Gov. Dolor mentioned during Oriental Mindoro’s 72nd Founding Anniversary last November 2022 that SMC will start construction works once the feasibility study is finished. Dolor added that it could take two to three years for the Mindoro-Batangas super bridge to be completed.
Aside from having a faster way of getting to and from Mindoro, the Mindoro-Batangas super bridge is seen to help lower fuel prices on the island. The reason for this is that there’s no need for it to be delivered via boat. A faster internet connection is also expected as fiber optics can run through the super bridge. More importantly, the super bridge can boost economic activity in Mindoro.
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