Reelected Iloilo First District Representative Janette Garin assured that presumptive president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will prioritize the construction of the bridges linking the islands of Panay, Guimaras and Negros in Western Visayas.
In an interview over radio station Bombo Radyo-Iloilo, Garin said Marcos “committed” to push for the realization of the proposed inter-island bridges.
Garin, who served as Department of Health (DOH) secretary under the administration of late president Benigno Aquino III, campaigned for Marcos in the province of Iloilo.
During his campaign rally in Iloilo last February, Marcos vowed to include the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridges as among his priority projects if he wins the presidential race.
“Kailangan po nating ipagpatuloy ang sinimulan ni Pangulong Duterte na ‘Build, Build, Build’ program sa imprastraktura. Pinag-uusapan nga namin kanina kung papaano ang gagawin para matuloy na ‘yung tulay na manggagaling sa Iloilo hanggang Guimaras hanggang sa Negros,” he said.
Meanwhile, the national government secured about P2.96-billion loan from South Korea to finance preliminary studies on the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridges.
On May 4, the Philippines and South Korea exchanged their copies of the agreement for the loan extended by the Export Import Bank of Korea-Economic Development Cooperation Fund (KEXIM-EDCF).IMT
