The support of President Benigno Aquino III and other officials in expediting the realization of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) Island Bridges project is being sought by local groups, Bacolod businessman Vladimiir Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez, who is the local government coordinator of the project, said he recently met with the project consultants in Cebu like Isoji Matsui, the team leader and advisor of the consulting engineering firm, KGC Ltd., Japan, who conducted the preliminary study of the PGN Project since 2008.

He said they have drafted a letter asking Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson to request a concurrent endorsement of a technical assistance from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry through the Embassy of Japan to conduct a full-blown feasibility study of the PGN Bridge Project.

Iloilo Rep. Jerry Treñas is the principal author of House Resolution No. 2018, calling on the President, the Public Private Partnership Center, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the National Economic Development Authority to prioritize the construction of the bridges connecting the islands in the government's PPP program and they are waiting for the response of METI on the matter, he said.

He also said the 19 congressmen have endorsed the project, adding that the feasibility study has been favoured compared to the JICA study in 2000 that involves P53 billion. KGC consultant undertook preliminary studies on how to inter-connect the three separated islands, he also said.

The bridge sites proposed to DPWH are from Leganes, Iloilo to Buenavista, Guimaras for the Panay-Guimaras bridge link and from San Lorenzo, Guimaras to Pulupandan, Bacolod for the Guimaras-Negros Bridge Link.

Both bridges would have a total length of 13.16 kms or almost six times the length of San Juanico Bridge making it the longest offshore bridge in the country when completed.*CGS

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