San Miguel Corporation has abandoned its plan to build a bridge connecting Boracay Island to the Aklan mainland, following sustained opposition from local officials and community groups.
Aklan Governor Jose Enrique “Joen” Miraflores disclosed the development during a stakeholders’ meeting on the island on Wednesday, May 27.
“Hindi na itutuloy ang Boracay bridge,” the governor said, citing a May 13 meeting in Pasig City where SMC President and CEO Ramon Ang personally informed him of the company’s withdrawal.
Ang had presented the project’s potential benefits during that meeting, including its value to domestic tourism. “He told us he really wanted to help Philippine tourism,” Gov. Miraflores said. Despite that position, the company chose not to proceed.
Gov. Miraflores attributed the reversal to public pressure. “Ramon Ang listened. They were aware of the opposition. Because of the noise made in the media and social media,” he said, adding that SMC did not wish to be at odds with the affected community.
The Department of Public Works and Highways awarded the P7.78-billion contract for the 2.54-kilometer bridge to San Miguel Holdings Corp., SMC’s infrastructure arm, last April. The project drew immediate criticism from local officials who argued that no public consultations had been conducted and that neither the municipal nor provincial government had endorsed it.
The May 13 meeting came about after Gov. Miraflores and Aklan Rep. Florencio “Joeben” Miraflores raised the matter with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during a presidential visit to Roxas City, Capiz on April 27. Marcos subsequently called Ang, leading to the Pasig City sit-down attended by both Aklan representatives, first district Rep. Jesus “Jess” Marquez, and Provincial Board Member Reynado “Boy” Quimpo, who pressed concerns about the bridge’s environmental and socio-economic consequences for residents on both the island and the mainland.
As of this writing, neither DPWH nor SMC has issued a formal announcement on the project’s status.
