San Miguel has dropped Boracay bridge project–Aklan gov
ILOILO CITY—San Miguel Holdings Corp. (SMHC) has backed out of the controversial Boracay Bridge project amid mounting public criticism and strong opposition from local communities, as well as business and environmental groups.
This was disclosed on Wednesday by Aklan Gov. Jose Enrique Miraflores, who said he spoke with Ramon Ang, chair and chief executive officer of San Miguel Corp. (SMC), the parent company of SMHC, last May 13.
“We had many discussions, especially about what he wants to do for our country. He explained that he was doing all of this because he wanted to help the tourism industry of our country,” Miraflores said during a consultative meeting about the bridge project in a hotel in Boracay.
His announcement was met with cheers and yells from those present.
The Inquirer reached out to Ang for comment, but has yet to receive a reply as of publication.
Ang, however, denied the governor’s claims in a message to GMA News Online.
“Not true,” Ang said briefly when asked to confirm Miraflores’ statement.
‘He listens’
During their conversation, Miraflores said, Ang acknowledged “that opposition [to the project was] strong.”
“In the end, [Ang] agreed that they would not continue with the Boracay Bridge (project). So, he listens, Ramon Ang listens,” he added.
The governor noted that SMC did “not want to have conflict with the local community.”
SMHC had submitted an unsolicited proposal to design and build the 2.54-kilometer bridge that will connect Boracay Island with mainland Aklan through Malay town.
On March 30, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) issued a notice of award to SMHC, but it was met with opposition from communities both within the island and in most of Aklan.
“We are hoping also that he conveyed this to the DPWH, so there will be closure,” Miraflores said.
The governor noted that the strong opposition might have influenced Ang’s decision not to pursue the P7.78-billion project.
Addressing the people in the meeting, Miraflores said: “This is really a win for all of us, because we were able to convey to him that we are not for this bridge, that there will be many affected, and that there will be many problems later on.”
“[It was] because [of] the opposition made, the noise you [the local community] made,” he added.
Multisectoral opposition
Opposition to the project mainly stemmed from its feared impact on the island’s fragile ecosystem. Critics also worried that Boracay will again suffer from overdevelopment and its carrying capacity breached.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Aklan passed a resolution on April 15, denouncing the DPWH’s approval of the project.
The League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)-Aklan chapter also passed a resolution on April 30 declaring its firm objection.
Those who did not sign the LMP resolution were Frolibar Bautista, mayor of Malay, where the island is located, and James Solanoy, mayor of Nabas, the proposed location of the bridge’s Panay Island exit.
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Boracay also voiced its opposition. The Boracay Foundation, composed of business and resorts owners, and local stakeholders, also wrote President Marcos to warn of the project’s potential impact.
The Aksyon Klima Pilipinas, a civil society coordination network for climate action, said the project does not benefit the environment.
Interviewed on local radio, Miraflores said the bridge project was brought up during a luncheon with the President during his recent visit to Roxas City.
He said Ang later invited him to a meeting in Manila where he was accompanied by Aklan Representatives Jesus Marquez and Florencio Miraflores, and provincial board member Reynaldo Quimpo. —WITH A REPORT FROM HAZEL P. VILLA
