Delays could push PGN bridge cost past PHP 331 billion

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

ILOILO CITY – The plans and construction timetable for the Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) Island Bridges Project must be strictly followed to prevent further increases in its already rising cost, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development in Western Visayas (DEPDev-6) said.

DEPDev-6 Director Arecio Casing Jr. said delays in implementing the inter-island bridge project could drive its cost even higher, noting that its estimated price has increased significantly over the years.

Cost estimates for the project have shifted repeatedly since it was first studied.

A 1999 study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) placed the estimated cost at about PHP 53 billion.

A 2010 Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) study later estimated the project at PHP 28.5 billion.

That figure was revised to PHP 54 billion in 2011 and subsequently increased to PHP 187.53 billion.

As of 2026, the DPWH has placed the project’s estimated cost at PHP 331.59 billion following major design revisions that require deeper foundations, additional support piles, and changes to bridge structures.

Casing said the government should move quickly on the completed detailed engineering design (DED) to avoid being overtaken by inflation and other cost increases.

“We are really hoping that whatever gets finished in the DED should really get implemented as soon as possible. There are buffers on inflation. However, if it takes a very long time, we will have a hard time adjusting,” he told reporters on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

“The strategy now is, the moment that the DED is released, we need to implement it as soon as we can,” Casing said.

Casing said the DED for the PGN bridge was signed on Friday, Aug. 28.

Following its signing and approval, Casing said the project will be presented to the Economy and Development (ED) Council of DEPDev, which is chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The ED Council was formerly known as the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board, the collegial body of DEPDev’s former iteration.

It is the executive collegial body responsible for the country’s policy direction on economic matters.

The council includes the executive secretary and the secretaries of budget and management, finance, and public works and highways, among others.

“They will now assess and, if they will issue a ‘go ahead,’ our Department of Finance will now look for the funding source of these two bridges,” he said.

The PGN Bridge is divided into two sections, with Section A connecting Leganes, Iloilo, to Buenavista, Guimaras, and Section B linking San Lorenzo, Guimaras, to Pulupandan, Negros Occidental.

Section B runs 19.47 kilometers, bringing the total length of the bridge system to roughly 32 kilometers.

South Korea’s Export-Import Bank (KEXIM) has committed official development assistance financing for Section A, which covers the 13-kilometer Panay-Guimaras segment, including the 4.97-kilometer sea-crossing bridge between Leganes and Buenavista.

“KEXIM has committed to fund the first phase, the Iloilo-Guimaras. They are now looking to fix the commitment on the second bridge, the Guimaras-Negros,” Casing said.

Casing said the government is targeting procurement from this year through mid-2027, with the contract package to be awarded by mid-2027.

Based on the DPWH’s project timeline, construction of Section A is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2027, while Section B is expected to start in the first quarter of 2028.

That schedule already reflects one reset. DPWH-6 Regional Director Denise Maria Ayag said in March that construction had been pushed to the fourth quarter of 2027 from an earlier target of July 2026, citing right-of-way and land use requirements that had to be settled first.

The two sections are expected to be constructed simultaneously, with the entire bridge system targeted for completion by mid-2033.

Once built, the system would replace a ferry and roll-on, roll-off crossing that takes commuters and cargo three to four hours between the three islands.