Studies to be conducted by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are underway for the construction of a fourth bridge linking the island of Mactan to mainland Cebu.

According to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, the fourth Mactan-Cebu bridge will be among several bridges connecting islands in the Visayas being seriously considered by the Duterte administration.

Villar said a 20-kilometer-long Cebu-Bohol bridge project was also being strongly considered by DPWH which is now conducting a feasibility study on the plan.

“I see that it (Cebu-Bohol bridge) is feasible since hindi masyadong malalim ang depth ng tubig (the water is not too deep). That’s what’s important in a bridge because it would be difficult if the water is deep, it will be costly,” Villar said in an interview in Cebu following a visit on Thursday.

Villar explained that President Rodrigo Duterte was serious with his plans for an “Inter-Island Bridge Program”.

Last March, Duterte hinted about the program in a speech during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) project – the third bridge connecting mainland Cebu to Mactan Island.

Duterte said he wanted a comprehensive plan to connect the Visayas islands into one economic region by building bridges, connecting the different provinces.

Other bridges being considered as part of the inter-island bridge program are those that connect Panay to Negros; Samar to Sorsogon; and Cebu to Negros.

Villar said a bridge from the southernmost tip of Cebu to Negros will be “quite a challenge” because while the five-kilometer distance may not be far, the water between the two islands is very deep.

Villar said the DPWH is seeking available new technology in China and in Europe which could best address this concern.

The cost of the bridge projects is expected to run into billions of dollars as even just a one kilometer bridge is projected to cost at least P5 billion.

“We are very ambitious. Malaki ang gastos (Cost is really high). But if you look at the implications, it’s also very big. It will bring huge economic benefits,” Villar said.

Villar added that while the DPWH cannot guarantee that all the projects will be completed during the Duterte administration, at least one of these bridges will be constructed before 2022, he said.

The Philippines’ longest bridge is the San Juanico Bridge spanning 2.16 kilometers between the islands of Samar and Leyte.

Built in 1969 to 1973 at a cost of 21.9 million dollars, the bridge was dedicated by Philippine strongman Ferdinand Marcos to his wife, Imelda, who hails from Leyte.

The bridges planned by the Duterte administration will be from five to twenty kilometers long.

Villar said that it was about time the country allocated more funds on infrastructure projects in order to keep up with its Asian neighbors.

Around eight to ten percent of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is spent by other countries for their infrastructure projects, noted Villar, while the Philippines only allocated three percent of GDP prior to the Duterte administration.

This year, the country’s infrastructure budget is pegged at five percent of GDP.

Villar hoped to increase the allocation to seven percent of GDP next year.

“This is an investment. Sulit naman yung spending natin (Our spending is worth it),” he said.