MANILA — San Miguel Chairman Ramon Ang said that his 2019 proposal to build a bridge connecting Boracay and Caticlan is still on the table. 

This, as he also announced plans to upgrade the airport in Caticlan, which San Miguel operates.

Ang said talks remain underway for his unsolicited proposal to build a 1.2 kilometer bridge from mainland Malay, Aklan to the famous island. He said a bridge will help address solid and liquid waste disposal issues of Boracay and it can also lessen the number of people to stay on the island.

“Kung pwede ko decongest ang Boracay at mailipat sa Catican, gaganda ang Boracay… Yung mga turista pwede na tumira sa Caticlan imbes sa Boracay,” said Ang at the Aviation Forum organized by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines.

(If I can decongest Boracay and move people to Caticlan, then Boracay will become more beautiful. Tourists can stay in Caticlan, instead of Boracay.)

Aside from tourists, Ang said that employees of hotels and resorts also need not stay on the island, as they have more accommodation options in Caticlan.

Based on the website of the Public Private Partnership Center, the Boracay Bridge Project has an estimated cost of P8.01 billion with the San Miguel Holdings Corporation as the private proponent. The 

Department of Public Works and Highways website meanwhile said the project cost is P5.728 billion.

The bridge project will have a provision and operation of a limited-access toll-bridge system and will also serve pedestrians, bike users, as well as power, telecommunication, water supply, sewerage, utility lines and public land transportation services.

The PPP Center and DPWH said on their websites that the status of the project is under negotiation.

Meanwhile, Ang revealed that the Godofredo Ramos Airport in Caticlan, operated by a San Miguel subsidiary, will soon have a bigger terminal. He said that what passengers see right now at the airport are all temporary. 

They encountered several challenges causing delays in the construction of the new terminal.

“Build a passenger terminal of 7 million capacity with 8 passenger boarding bridge para naman maginhawa ang tao,” he said.

Ang added, “The reason why natatagalan ang Caticlan, alam niyo bakit? Yun pong runway nung ginagawa natin yun puro privately-owned property…. Yung mga may-ari ng lupa karamihan sa kanila kung magbenta ng lupa three times the appraise value, pag alam nila mas kailangan mo ten times the appraised value.”

(The reason the Caticlan airport project was delayed was because many of the land occupied by the runway are privately owned. Land owners would sell their land three times the appraised value, and if they know you really need it, they will sell at ten times the appraised value.)

Ang said they will soon award the contract for the new passenger terminal building this year. The terminal is expected to be finished in less than 3 years.

He added that even with the upgrade of Caticlan airport, the nearby Kalibo airport will not be affected negatively as Kalibo has the capacity for much larger aircraft, while Caticlan can only support up to the Airbus A320 or smaller aircraft.

With this airport project, Ang said he may not enter into new airport projects as he is now handling three big airport projects- Ninoy Aquino International Airport modernization, Bulacan airport, and the Caticlan airport.