DPWH OKs award of P7.78-B Boracay bridge to SMC unit

By Ashley Erika O. Jose, Reporter

THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it has approved the award of the P7.78-billion Boracay bridge project to San Miguel Holdings Corp. (SMHC), the infrastructure arm of San Miguel Corp. (SMC).

“We are pleased to notify SMHC that on March 25, 2026, the DPWH approved the resolution by the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) prequalification, bids, and awards committee (PBAC) for PPP recommending the award of the contract to San Miguel Holdings Corp.,” Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon said in a notice of award dated March 30.

SMHC secured the project after no competing bids were submitted by the deadline.

The company holds original proponent status for the unsolicited project, which involves the financing, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of a 2.54-kilometer bridge system, including a 1.14-kilometer limited-access bridge linking Caticlan in Malay, Aklan, to Boracay Island.

Under project guidelines, the contract is awarded to the original proponent if no comparative proposal is found to be superior.

The bridge will include access for public transport, pedestrian lanes, bikeways, and provisions for utilities such as power, telecommunications, water supply, and sewerage, according to the PPP Center.

The DPWH said the project aims to provide all-weather access between Boracay and Caticlan, improve emergency response, address solid and liquid waste management concerns, and support the island’s tourism-driven economy.

Separately, SMC is upgrading the Godofredo P. Ramos Airport in Caticlan through its unit Trans Aire Development Holdings Corp., with Megawide Construction Corp. undertaking the design and construction of the new passenger terminal building.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dizon said SMC has committed to partially opening a section of the P58.42-billion South Luzon Expressway Toll Road 4 (SLEX TR4) by 2026.

“For San Miguel, RSA (Ramon S. Ang) has committed that they will finally open part of TR4 by the end of 2026,” Mr. Dizon told reporters on the sidelines of an event last week.

Package A of the SLEX TR4 project is scheduled for completion by December 2026, based on DPWH data. The 11.32-kilometer segment covers Sto. Tomas, Batangas, to Makban, Laguna.

The full project, which is divided into six packages, is targeted for completion by June 2029. SLEX TR4 is being implemented by SMC SLEX, Inc., formerly South Luzon Tollways Corp.

The project has an estimated cost of P58.42 billion, excluding Package F, the final segment spanning 9.96 kilometers from Tayabas to Mayao, Lucena, Quezon.

SLEX TR4 is a 66.74-kilometer, four-lane toll road from Sto. Tomas, Batangas, to Tayabas and Lucena City in Quezon province.

The project is expected to improve the movement of goods and services between Metro Manila and southern provinces by reducing travel time and easing congestion along the Pan-Philippine Highway.

“And then after (TR4) we will then move to TR5. These things will take time but with the right push, we can get things done,” Mr. Dizon said.

The SLEX TR5 project is an extension of SLEX TR4. It is a four-lane toll road spanning about 420 kilometers from the terminal point of SLEX TR4, according to the DPWH.

The project aims to link Quezon and Bicol provinces and provide access to roll-on/roll-off ports.

SLEX TR5 consists of eight segments and is being implemented by South Luzon Toll Road 5 Expressway Corp. Segment 1 is estimated to cost about P22.6 billion.