By Robert A. Evora

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro—A private investors has expressed interest in building a “ super bridge” that would connect Mindoro Island with the main island of Luzon through Batangas province, Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso Umali said on Wednesday.

He said Ramon Ang, President of San Miguel Corp, will build the 14-kms long bridge, which will be the longest bridge in the country, longer than the San Juanico Bridge that connects the provinces of Samar and Leyte.

“Once the construction of the bridge is realized, it will fast-track the economic development of the region, especially in the fields of tourism,” Umali said in his state-of-the province address.

The superbridge was estimated to cost P18 billion and construction would take five years. The 2.16-kms San Juanico Bridge was built in a span of four years at a cost of $21.9 million.

The superbridge will start at Barangay Ilijan in Batangas City and make a 6.4 kms span across the sea to Verde Island. A second bridge will connect Verde Island to the coastal barangay of Sinandigan in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, which will be a 4.4- kms span.

Umali said the superbridge will be the country’s longest and the province’s most expensive infrastructure project and “it will be my administration’s lasting legacy to our beloved province.”

(Published in Manila Standard Today)