SMC Super Bridge: San Miguel to link Mindoro and Batangas

Motorists that need to get from Batangas to Oriental Mindoro (and vice versa) may no longer have to rely on RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off) vessels in order to make the journey in the near future.

This comes after San Miguel Corporation (SMC) announced they are in talks with the local government of Mindoro through Governor Humerlito Dolor to build a 15-km "super bridge" that will link the island with mainland Luzon through Batangas.

The project, which is included in the ten programs of the Marcos Administration for public-private partnership (PPP), was first proposed by Oriental Mindoro Cong. Alfonso Umali in 2015. Today, it is currently being pushed by Gov. Dolor in a bid to spur growth and development in Oriental Mindoro and the entire MIMAROPA region.

“We have started bringing together global experts across disciplines, including a European architectural and engineering firm to do a technical feasibility study on how the bridge can be built sustainably to benefit both people and the environment,” said Ramon S. Ang, president & CEO of SMC.

Ang added that since his last meeting with Gov. Dolor late last year, SMC has engaged the services of a local company to initially do a bathymetric survey to measure water depth. As for the bridge itself, it will start at Barangay Ilijan in Batangas, pass through Verde Island, and then land in Barangay Sinandigan in Puerto Galera.

"We thank Gov. Dolor for pursuing this game-changing project and considering our company to be able to deliver a world-class bridge. It has faced a series of setbacks over the years but we hope that together we can finally bring the vision to fruition,” added Ang.

Once completed, the 15-km bridge is seen to result in faster and more efficient transport of people and goods and spur local economic growth through job generation. It's also seen to deliver higher investments and optimization of basic services such as water, power, and telecommunications, among others.