Guicam Bridge is a concrete

girder bridge A girder bridge is a bridge that uses girders as the means of supporting its deck. The two most common types of modern steel girder bridges are plate and box. The term "girder" is often used interchangeably with "beam" in reference to bridge de ...

being planned for construction between the towns of Alicia and

Mabuhay Mabuhay is a Filipino greeting, usually expressed as ''Mabuhay!'', which literally means "long live". The term is also occasionally used for toasts during celebrations to mean "cheers". It is similar to the Hawaiian expression "aloha". A more mo ...

Zamboanga Sibugay Zamboanga Sibugay, officially the Province of Zamboanga Sibugay ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Zamboanga Sibugay; tl, Lalawigan ng Zamboanga Sibugay; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Zamboanga Sibugay''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Zamboanga ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. The bridge will connect

Olutanga Island Olutanga is a Philippine island in the Moro Gulf, part of Zamboanga Sibugay Province. It is separated from the Zamboanga Peninsula by a narrow channel and Tantanang Bay. Olutanga, with an area of , is the largest island in the Moro Gulf and the ...

and its three municipalities of

, Talusan, and

Olutanga Olutanga is a Philippine island in the Moro Gulf, part of Zamboanga Sibugay Province. It is separated from the Zamboanga Peninsula by a narrow channel and Tantanang Bay. Olutanga, with an area of , is the largest island in the Moro Gulf and the ...

with the rest of

Mindanao Island Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of t ...

, which are separated by the Canalizo Strait. Once completed, it will be the longest bridge in Mindanao (a record previously held by

Macapagal Bridge Macapagal Bridge (Filipino: ''Tulay ng Macapagal'') is a steel cable-stayed bridge along Mayor Democrito D. Plaza II Avenue (also known as the Butuan Bypass Road) in Butuan, Agusan del Norte that crosses the Agusan River. It has a length of , ...

Butuan Butuan (pronounced ), officially the City of Butuan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Butuan; Butuanon: ''Dakbayan hong Butuan''; fil, Lungsod ng Butuan), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Caraga, Philippines. It is the ''de facto'' ca ...

Agusan del Norte Agusan del Norte, officially the Province of Agusan del Norte ( ceb, Amihanang Agusan; Butuanon: ''Probinsya hong Agusan del Norte''; tl, Hilagang Agusan), is a province in the Caraga region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Cabadba ...

) until the completion of the

Panguil Bay Bridge Panguil Bay Bridge is an under construction bridge which will connect Tangub, Misamis Occidental and Tubod, Lanao del Norte. The bridge when completed will become the longest water-spanning bridge in the Philippines, surpassing the San Juanico B ...

between

Tangub Tangub, officially the City of Tangub ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Tangub; fil, Lungsod ng Tangub), is a 4th class component city in the province of Misamis Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 68,389 people. Tang ...

Misamis Occidental Misamis Occidental ( ceb, Kasadpang Misamis; Subanen languages, Subanen: ''Sindepan Mis'samis''; fil, Kanlurang Misamis), officially the Province of Misamis Occidental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province located in the Regions of the Ph ...

and Tubod,

Lanao del Norte Lanao del Norte ( Cebuano: ''Amihanang Lanao''; tl, Hilagang Lanao; Maranao: ''Pangotaraan Ranao''), officially the Province of Lanao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Tubod. T ...

History

According to the

Philippine Statistics Authority The Philippine Statistics Authority (Filipino: ''Pangasiwaan ng Estadistika ng Pilipinas''), abbreviated as PSA, is the central statistical authority of the Philippine government that ''collects, compiles, analyzes and publishes statistical inf ...

in its province poverty incidence survey in 2015, Zamboanga Sibugay placed 19 in the 20 poorest provinces in the Philippines. Among its underserved served municipalities are located in Olutanga Island, particularly the municipalities of Mabuhay, Talusan, and Olutanga, which are separated from the rest of the province by a narrow channel. Residents of the three municipalities travel to the mainland by crossing the channel on a motorized banca or car ferry to Guicam Port in the town of Alicia,

. To improve stimulate economic growth and development in Zamboanga Sibugay and the rest of Mindanao, the

Philippine government The Government of the Philippines ( fil, Pamahalaan ng Pilipinas) has three interdependent branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The Philippines is governed as a unitary state under a presidential representative and d ...

requested the

Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field office ...

(ADB) to finance the Improving Growth Corridors in Mindanao Road Sector Project (IGCMRSP), which aims to establish the Zamboanga Peninsula region as the Agri-Fisheries Southern Corridor of the Philippines, as part of the

Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area The Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) is a cooperation initiative established in 1994 to spur development in remote and less developed areas in the four participating Southeast Asian count ...

(BIMP-EAGA). The IGCMRSP consists of nine sub-projects for Mindanao with three core and six non-core sub-projects and has a total cost of US$503 million or PH₱25.2 billion. Guicam Bridge is one of the six non-core sub-projects under IGCMRSP. The construction of Guicam Bridge is aimed at helping facilitate economic development in the region, improve peace and security in conflict-affected areas, and catalyze complementary public and private investment. On 14 December 2017, the ADB agreed to shoulder a portion of the IGCMRSP project with a US$380 million (PH₱19 billion) loan, with the Philippine government shouldering US$123 million (PH₱6.1 billion) of the total cost. The loan agreement was signed on 10 January 2018 and became effective on 23 March 2018. The Philippine government allotted PH₱1.06 billion for the construction of Guicam Bridge. As of June 2020, construction of the bridge is still under procurement with

Department of Public Works and Highways The Department of Public Works and Highways ( fil, Kagawaran ng mga Pagawain at Lansangang Bayan}), abbreviated as DPWH, is the executive department of the Philippine government solely vested with the Mandate to “be the State's engineering ...

References

{{reflist

History

References

See also