TRAVELLING around Northern Mindanao, particularly between Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental, will have a different feel nowadays with the opening, September 27 of the longest bridge in Mindanao.
The 3.169 kilometers Panguil Bay Bridge, which cost approximately P7.8 billion, has been officially considered the longest in Mindanao amid the ongoing construction of the supposedly "longer" Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) in Davao Region, which reportedly stretches to 3.98 kilometers if completed.
"Medyo mogamay ang kita sa barge cruises industry ini nga manukad sa Mukas port, Lanao Norte to Ozamiz City and vice versa, pero lingaw kaayo ni nga biyahe sa mga vloggers and adventurers," commercial hoops player Jeff Morial told Gold Star Daily.
Misamis Occidental sportsman Rey Urbiztondo, who is a confidant of Misamis Occidental Governor Henry Oaminal Jr, said the Panguil Bay is going to be a game-changer in Northern Mindanao's economy.
"Daghan nga kalamboan ang mahitabo basta sayon na ang pag biyahe ilabi na nga attractive usab kini nga tulay sa atong torismo konektado sa pagpalambo sa mga negosyo sulod sa atong lokalidad," Urbiztondo said.
Reputedly considered a milestone of the former president Rodrigo Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” initiative, which sought to improve the country’s infrastructure, Lanao del Norte Governor Imelda Quibranza-Dimaporo said the project would also benefit the neighboring provinces in Mindanao such as Zamboanga del Sur in the Zamboanga Peninsula Region.
