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News Top Stories PGMA cites Ibajay bridge in Aklan as integral part of Panay Island development
News Top Stories PGMA cites Ibajay bridge in Aklan as integral part of Panay Island development
| PGMA cites Ibajay bridge in Aklan as integral part of Panay Island development |
| Tuesday, 03 June 2008 11:21 | ||||||
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The President made the announcement during her speech keynoting the inauguration of said bridge which was built under the United Kingdom (UK)-assisted Department of Public Works and Highways Bridge Replacement Project. The President said that aside from providing a gateway to the world-renowned Boracay Island, Ibajay Bridge also serves as an alternative access road for the Western portion of the Strong Republic National Highway (SRNH). She added that the completion of the Ibajay bridge forms part of our Medium Term Public Investment Program "to invest in social and physical infrastructure which includes billions of pesos in education, healthcare and training along with billions in new bridges like this P200-million bridge, roads like the beautiful roads we have now here on this nautical highway and ports to upgrade the competitiveness of the Philippines," the President said. She said "all of these will bolster the competitiveness of the Philippines and attract more investment, create more jobs, and improve the lives of the people." The President further pointed out that the construction of the Ibajay bridge is "in line with our Super Regions Plan which aims to create five major regions including Central Philippines as tourism center to spread development away from an inequitable concentration in Metro Manila." She likened the tourism boom that Boracay has accorded on Aklan to the economic boom experienced by Bali, Indonesia with its famous Kota beach. She said just like Kota beach whose per capita income has outgrown the per capita income of Indonesia's capital of Jakarta, "this Ibajay bridge is going to be a key to the development of Panay (Island)." The President said that because Ibajay bridge serves as a vital link between world-renowned Boracay beach and the rest of Panay Island, tourists and locals who are on a budget now have more alternatives where to spend the night aside from the "resort-congested" tourist destination. "The favorite tourist destination in the Philippines is still Boracay but there are many other sites also worth visiting here," the President said. She pointed out that what the tourists could do is to stay in the resorts located all around Northern Panay such as the ones found in Ibajay, Pandan and Libertad in Antique during the day then to go to Boracay to experience the nightlife which is "one of the big attractions in the island." To address the lack of ferry boats travelling to and from Boracay at night, the President said she has instructed Tourism Secretary Robert Durano to purchase a "pump boat that will bring back the night lifers at three o'clock a.m. from Boracay back to the mainland so that they can sleep in the different resorts here." "PTA (Philippine Tourism Authority) will buy that boat and then they will ask the Aklan Chamber of Commerce to operate it," the President said. "So, that is another investment," she added
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