NEWS

By RJay Zuriaga Castor | Rappler | November 16, 2024 5:17PM

Boatmen have invested P6.4 million to P10 million per boat to comply with government’s upgrade requirement. That might go to waste.

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – The proposed construction of a bridge connecting Boracay to the mainland town of Malay, Aklan, promises to provide easy access to the world-renowned island, but it would also mean an end to the livelihood of several boatmen.

Caticlan Boracay Transport Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CBTMPC) consultant Godofredo Sadiasa said the 1.2-kilometer Boracay bridge of the San Miguel Holdings Corporation (SMC) will directly affect around 500 boatmen and 40 boat owners.

These workers currently provide ferry services to the island, but their jobs would be rendered obsolete once the bridge is constructed.

“We don’t treat these boats as businesses; they are our means of livelihood,” Sadiasa said in a recent interview with Radyo Todo Aklan.

Sadiasa said CBTMPC still had outstanding bank debts, which they incurred after complying with the government’s mandate to modernize their boats.

“We evaluated the total number of boats, which is currently 48, all fiberglass. Each boat costs between P8 million and P10 million. So, if we multiply that by 48, that’s almost half a billion in investment,” he explained.

In 2021, the wooden-hulled passenger boats of the CBTMPC were phased out after their Certificates of Public Convenience were terminated upon expiration.

The termination prompted the CBTMPC to replace them with plastic-reinforced or fiber-reinforced plastic boats, which cost between P6.4 million and P10 million.

Mounting opposition

On October 10, in time for the celebration of the National Cooperative Month, the members of the CBTMPC held a motorcade to show their opposition to the bridge’s construction.

Boatmen assailed the government for mandating the modernization of boats to prevent job loss, only to later have an impending project that would threaten their jobs.

The CBTMPC has reached out to Aklan Vice Governor Reynaldo Quimpo, and notes that the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) has started preparing a position paper that also opposes the construction of the bridge.

“The SP is siding with us. They are also preparing their position paper, and we will coordinate and provide necessary data on how the bridge will affect the lives of people in Malay, particularly in Boracay,” he said.

In a Facebook post, Quimpo also publicly expressed his opposition to the project, citing the lack of proper consultation with local stakeholders.

He added that the project violates a provincial ordinance that enforces a “one entry/exit policy for the island to ensure the preservation and protection of the province’s tourism assets.”

The Vice Governor also stressed that the sea transport and services sector would be severely impacted by the construction, considering the over the cooperatives’ P368-million investment in the sea craft modernization program.

Quimpo also emphasized the province would have about P990,000 in lost revenues per day or P361 million per year.

Aside from the boatmean, 166 porters or baggage handlers servicing the jetty ports will likely lose their source of income from the project, according to the Vice Governor.

No proposal yet

The Sangguniang Bayan (SB) of Malay, in an October 10 resolution, said it had not received any formal proposal or application from an investor for the construction of the bridge.

SB Malay assured the public that it would uphold transparency for all infrastructure and investment proposals for the bridge.

It emphasized that if a proposal is submitted, the local government will have a thorough evaluation in accordance with established procedures, including appropriate consultations with stakeholders of Malay.

The Boracay bridge is among the projects under the P4.6-billion Public-Private Partnership budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in 2025.

Based on the DPWH website, negotiations with SMC concluded earlier this July, with the project’s approval currently ongoing.

SMC initially presented the complete proposal in January 2019 and received original proponent status.

The P8 billion-worth bridge involves constructing a limited-access and two-way two-lane bridge with provision for a bike lane and sidewalk on each side.

The DPWH clarified that the bridge is not meant to cater vehicular through-traffic but will facilitate the movement of commuters, solid waste, goods, and supplies.

Once completed, the Boracay bridge is expected to help manage the island’s environmental carrying capacity and ease the pressures due to overcrowding and overuse of existing facilities.

Source: Rappler

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