By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
With its globally-famous white sand bitches and turquoise waters raking in millions of local and foreign tourists every year, Boracay’s popularity as a tropical travel destination has raised prospects of a permanent infrastructure linking the paradise with Mainland Panay Island.
The proposed Boracay Bridge project however has proven to be a point of contention for locals and travelers alike, with clashing views on this suggestion to ensure unhampered all-weather access to the tourist hotspot.
The latter says it would eat into the profits of boat operators and even cause environmental damage, while the former notes the benefits of reduced travel time and need for multiple transfers to get there after arriving from either the Caticlan Airport or the Kalibo International Airport.
In a briefing on Tuesday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro acknowledged the sensitive nature of this topic, deferring further information on the fate of this project to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon.
Castro said, noting that as of press time, the Boracay Bridge proposal remains subject to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s approval, “Nabalitaan na po natin, nabalitaan na po ng Pangulo ang nangyayari dito at sa ngayon po, pinamamahala muna kay DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon. Hihingi po tayo ng update patungkol po dito.”
This project will be implemented under a Build-Operate-Transfer scheme and includes a 2.54-kilometer bridge with provisions for public transport access, pedestrian lanes, bikeways, freight transport, and carriage of utility lines (power, telecommunication, water supply, and sewerage).
San Miguel Holdings Corporation first floated the idea for this infrastructure initiative in 2018, with an estimated cost of P7.94 billion as of September 2025.
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