DAVAO tourist island to have bridge, freeport

A bridge spanning the Davao Gulf from mainland Davao City and a freeport are among ambitous programs in the pipeline for local officials of the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) in Davao del Norte.

Igacos, now gaining worldwide popularity as a tourism destination for its white sand beach resorts and excellent tourism facility, sits in the middle of the Davao Gulf.

Mayor Aniano Antalan said the proposal for the P5 billion bridge through the Pakiputan Strait, the shortest route between Davao City and Igacos, has already been submitted for funding to President Arroyo.

In his State of the City Address last week, Antalan said the bridge along with the creation of the Samal Island Special Economic Zone and Freeport are the two most ambitious projects his government would pursue as Igacos positions itself as a key tourism and investment destination in the Davao Region.

The bridge would take off from Lanang in Davao City near Waterfront Insular Hotel and connects to Caliclic in Babak District, a distance of about a kilometer.

City administrator Cleto Gales said Chinese and European investors have shown interest to undetake the project. Councilor Charles Ligan said the proposed bridge would be subject of discussion between officials of Davao City and Igacos.

Antalan said expects the Samal freeport to become a business hub for the Davao Region in the mold of the Subic Freeport now a key economic player in Luzon. He said he is going to Congress to request congressmen to declare the island city as a freeport.

To prepare the island for the challenges ahead, Antalan said his government would pursue full development of the circumferential road circling the island and seek funds for improvement of submarine cable which delivers power to Igacos.