Several councilors in Davao City claimed they were not invited during President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s inspection of the Davao River-Bucana Bridge on Thursday, December 4, 2025.

During the inspectioin, only officials from the national government and local officials from neighboring provinces were present.

According to several councilors, they did no receive an invitation to attend and they only learned of the visit and inspection through social media.

However, Councilor Tek Ocampo said he has no concerns about the project, which was constructed by a Chinese contractor.

“Mao lagi, natingala pud mi… nakita na lang namo nga naa diay diri ang pangulo aron mag-inspect sa Bucana Bridge. Wala mi kabalo ngano wala mi naimbetahan sa maong inspection sa Bucana Bridge as donation ng China to the city government of Davao as goodwill,” Ocampo said.

“Walay imbitasyon. Wala ko kadawat, mao wala ko miadto, kay gyud kabawo pud,” Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang also said.

The construction of the 1.3-kilometer bridge began in 2023. It connects the eastern and western coastal areas of the city. It has four lanes and a six-span extradosed structure measuring 480 meters.

The President said that once the bridge is opened to the public, the estimated travel time of around two hours will be reduced to just 20 minutes.

“Ang estimate, ang sabi, ang byahe, ang dalawang oras ay mababawasan magiging 20 minutes na lang kaya malaking ginhawa lalong lalo na ngayon magpapasko tayo… alam naman natin ang mangyayari sa traffic at ito ay magagamit on the 15th, December 15,” Marcos has said.

The Official Development Assistance of China allocated more than P3.1 billion for the project.