Ramon Ang denies San Miguel backing out of P7.8-B Boracay Bridge plan

Conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is not backing out of its plan to build a P7.8-billion bridge connecting top tourist destination Boracay Island to Caticlan in mainland Aklan.

This was confirmed to GMA News Online by San Miguel chairman and chief executive officer Ramon Ang.

“Not true,” Ang said, when asked to confirm Aklan Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores’ announcement, during a stakeholders meeting on the island, that SMC’s infrastructure arm San Miguel Holdings Corporation has agreed to withdraw the controversial bridge project.

According to a report by Super Radyo Kalibo, Miraflores made the announcement after a meeting with Ang last May 13, 2026.

Kontrobersiyal na Boracay Bridge Project, pormal nang kinansela matapos iatras ng San Miguel Corporation. | via Darwin Tapayan, Super Radyo Kalibo pic.twitter.com/VtQYgAVJO3

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) May 27, 2026

The nearly P8-billion Boracay Bridge was awarded to San Miguel Holdings Corporation (SMHC).

It will be implemented through a Public-Private Partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The planned bridge will stretch about 2.54 kilometers, including a 1.14-kilometer main bridge, and will feature road lanes, pedestrian walkways, bicycle lanes, and utility systems.

The project, however, is facing mounting criticism from locals and other stakeholders, raising concern about its impact on their livelihoods.

Among those against the plan is the Caticlan-Boracay Transport Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CBTMPC), which represents boatmen and operators.

Other sectors meanwhile are worried about the bridge's effect on the environment. In an interview with CBCP News, the new bishop of Aklan, Bishop Cyril Villareal, said the project "could damage Boracay’s fragile marine ecosystems, disrupt coral reefs and push the resort island beyond its environmental carrying capacity."

Such large-scale development could cause irreversible ecological harm, he added.

JL Algo of Aksyon Klima Pilipinas adds, "the project could compromise the small island's long-term carrying capacity that would result in even more ecological damages and adverse impact."

"If DPWH actually accounted for these factors or bothered to listen to those who actually live in the area instead of seemingly only accommodating the desires of SMC, this project would have never even been approved in the first place," he continued.

Apart from "a finished drainage system, additional sewerage treatment plants, upgraded medical facilities, modernized ports and ferries," Algo says what the island needs is "its biodiversity, ecosystems, and the rest of its natural environment better protected."

Despite opposition, some sectors see potential benefits, for example, the bridge could improve transportation, increase tourism, and provide faster access during emergencies, especially when sea travel is not possible due to bad weather. — LA, GMA News