DPWH to rebid Panay-Guimaras Bridge's detailed engineering design

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has to rebid the consultancy of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island (PGN) Bridge project’s detailed engineering design, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan said on Tuesday.

“For Panay-Guimaras [bridge project], the detailed engineering design is for unfortunately, it’s going to be rebid, ‘yung consultancy services for the detailed engineering design,” Bonoan said during the Senate finance committee hearing on DPWH’s proposed P821.107-billion budget for 2024.

Despite this, Bonoan said the DPWH is “very confident” that they could award the contract by December 2023.

“So that the detailed engineering design will probably commence by early next year… After the detailed engineering, in one year, I think, we should be able to implement the civil works in 2025,” he added.

The DPWH chief did not elaborate on the reason why the DPWH has to restart the bidding process for the PGN’s detailed engineering design (DED).

In November last year, the DPWH said it is targeting to commence the DED for the mega-bridge project in Western Visayas by first quarter of 2023.

The 32.47-kilometer bridge project will be composed of two sea-crossing bridges to connect the Panay, Guimaras, and Negros islands in Region VI.

The Philippine government in May last year secured a $56.6-million loan from the Export Import Bank of Korea-Economic Development Cooperation Fund (KEXIM-EDCF) to finance the engineering services of the said project.

Bataan-Cavite bridge

Meanwhile, Bonoan said the DED for the 32-kilometer-long Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge is “almost complete” and it will be up for the National Economic Development Authority’s (NEDA) review on Friday.

“We will be presenting this bridge to the NEDA board by Friday for their confirmation on the adjustment of schedules and this is going to be financed by the Asian Development Bank,” he said.

“I think after the NEDA board, then we will start to negotiate for the loan agreements for the financing of this bridge project and we hope that we can start bidding…for the first quarter of next year,” he added.

Both the PGN Bridges project and the Bataan-Cavite Interlink were mentioned by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA). —KBK, GMA Integrated News