Panguil Bridge Update

[Ardelle Abdullah]

ThePanguil Bay Bridge (PBB) is a 3.7km-long two-way, two-lane bridge being built to connect Tangub City in Misamis Occidental with the Tubod municipality in Lanao del Norte, Northern Mindanao, Philippines.

Pre-feasibility and implementation studies for the Panguil Bay bridge project were conducted by multiple consultants between 1998 and 2008. A final feasibility study was performed by SAMBO Engineering. The study was funded by the International Contractors Association of Korea (ICAK) under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea.

The project evaluation report (PER) was presented to the Investment Coordination Committee-Technical Board (ICC-TB), which endorsed the project to the ICC-Cabinet Committee for approval in October 2014.

Based on pre-stressed concrete box girders, the three-span continuous extra-dosed bridge will feature two pylons. The longitudinal section of the main bridge will be 320m-long, while the length of the two approach bridge sections and approach roads will be 2.04km and 1.42km, respectively. The main bridge will be 14.5m-wide and feature two carriageways.

The approach bridge will be a multi continuous pre-stressed concrete bridge based on pre-stressed concrete box girders. The main and approach bridges will feature cast-in-place pile foundations and will be built using free-cantilever and incremental launching methods respectively.

The Export-Import Bank of Korea-Economic Development Cooperation Fund (KEXIM-EDCF) and the Philippines Government signed a $100.13m loan agreement for the development of the Panguil Bay bridge in April 2016.

It will reduce the journey time between Tangub and Tubod from the current 2.5 hours to seven minutes. It will also reduce traffic congestion in the area, ensuring efficient mobility. The bridge will serve as a gateway connecting Tangub and Tubod cities.

The Panguil Bay Bridge is a 3.77 km (2.34 mi) under construction extradosed bridge that will cross Panguil Bay. It will connect Tangub in Misamis Occidental and Tubod in Lanao del Norte. When completed, it will become the longest water-spanning bridge in Mindanao. It will also reduce the travel time between Tangub and Tubod from 2.5 hours to just a few minutes.[2]

The groundbreaking ceremony for the bridge was held on November 27, 2018.[2] Construction officially began on February 28, 2020.[3] As of May 2024[update], the project is 90% complete,[4] with Imelda Dimaporo, governor of Lanao del Norte, announcing that the bridge will be opened to traffic by August.[5] The final concrete pouring ceremony was held on July 4, 2024.[6]

The bridge is party funded under the Korean Economic Development Cooperation Agreement. Currently, it is being built by the South Korean firms Namkwang Engineering & Construction Corporation and Yooshin Engineering Corporation, in joint ventures with Kukdong Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. and Kyong-Ho Engineering and Architects Co. Ltd.[5] Expenses not covered by the loan will be funded by the Philippine national government.[7]

Once the bridge is put up, the PBPP will cut the travel time between Tangub and Tubod to seven minutes. Currently, traveling point to point will take at least 2.5 hours, as motorists have to travel a 100-kilometer route via Tangub-Molave-Tubod road or Tangub-Kapatagan-Tubod road.

The bridge is financed by a loan agreement obtained from South Korea and issued by the Korea Export-Import Bank Development Cooperation Fund. The design and build contract was issued to Seoul-based Namkwang Engineering and Construction Corp.

In his third of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22, 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said the Panguil Bay Bridge is one of the two major bridges that are expected to be opened to motorists before the year ends.

DPWH said once the bridge is finished, the travel time between Tubod, Lanao del Norte and Tangub City, Misamis Occidental will be reduced to seven minutes from the current one hour and a half to two hours and a half travel time via Roll-on, Roll off (RoRo) or via land travel with around 100 kilometers.

BRIDGE FOUNDATION A shipment of 37 giant steel pipes that will be used to build the foundation of Panguil Bay bridge arrives at Iligan City. The 3.7-kilometer bridge, a flagship project of government, will link the provinces of Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental. (Photo courtesy of Philippine Ports Authority)

DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain said that the inter-island bridge project in Northern Mindanao is currently 90 percent completed, with only 38.75-meter gap to link the superstructure from Tangub City, Misamis Occidental to Tubod, Lanao del Norte.

According to Sadain, the Panguil Bay Bridge is among the infrastructure flagship projects of the agency , having been initiated in the previous administration and continued under the term of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., as it is seen as a landmark infrastructure that would boost economic growth of Mindanao.

When completed, this will be able to reduce travel time between Tangub City, Misamis Occidental and Tubod, Lanao del Norte to only seven minutes, from the current travel time of one and a half hour to two and a half hour via Roll-On, Roll Off (RoRo) or land travel with over a distance of 100 kilometers.

The Panguil Bay Bridge Project (PBBP) worth more than P7.3-billion is expected to be complete before September as the final pouring of concrete cement was held July 4, the Department of Public Works and Highways said.

The Panguil Bay Bridge, the longest bridge in Mindanao at 3.169 kilometers, includes a 320-meter extra-dosed main bridge, a 1,920-meter pre-stressed concrete girder approach bridge, and a 929-meter approach road.

The bridge is expected to catalyze economic activities, improve quality of life, and open new opportunities for trade, tourism, and investment, significantly benefiting local communities and contributing to national development.

The P7.4-billion Panguil Bay bridge project that will connect Tangub City in Misamis Occidental to Tubod City in Lanao del Norte is on track to be completed by December of 2023, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The project, financed by a loan agreement between the Philippine government and Korean Export Import Bank, highlights how the design and construction of a modern bridge with sea offshore excavation depth of more than 50 meters has evolved, Sadain said.

Sadain, who has overall supervision for all flagship projects being implemented by the DPWH under the Build Better More Program, led the construction site inspection on December 7 at the Panguil Bay bridge project.

Following the completion of all the 54 bored piling works, construction began for the 36 abutment and pier column and 32 coping on both ends at Tubod and Tangub City for the incremental launching method for the superstructure.

Bridging the geographical gap between Tubod and Tangub City/Ozamis City area, Panguil Bay bridge will reduce travel time between Lanao Del Norte and Misamis Occidental from two hours to just seven minutes.

Started on February 2020, the design and build of Panguil Bay bridge has been pushed back due to work restrictions at the height of the pandemic and supply chain issues, with the additional design time and delay in the arrival and release of equipment from abroad.

Manuel Bonoan, DPWH secretary, said the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is not only ensuring continuity of major infrastructure projects started by the previous administration, but also aims to fast-track their completion to get the country back on the road to economic recovery from the pandemic.

This marks the first bridge infrastructure project of KEXIM-EDCF, aimed at increasing growth in Mindanao with reliable and efficient transport infrastructure connecting the northern and western areas.

The Department of Finance (DOF) said the loan is highly concessional, carrying an interest rate of only 0.15% yearly for non-consulting services, for a total maturity of 40 years inclusive of a 10-year grace period.

Complaints for graft and plunder and other cases have been filed against Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan and his predecessor, former secretary and now Senator Mark Villar, over the construction of the 3.17-kilometer bridge connecting Tangub City, Misamis Occidental, and Tubod, Lanao del Norte.

The complaint-affidavit was filed late last year before the Office of the Ombudsman by Dr. John J. Chiong, founder of Task Force Kasanag, a non-government organization working against crimes, illegal drugs and corruption.

Being referred to was Anton V. Gimpaya, former project manager of the Panguil Bay Bridge Project under Roads Management Cluster 2 (Multilateral) of the Unified Project Management Office for the DPWH.

The bids allegedly exceeded the approved budget for the contract by more than the allowable increment. As a result, a certain undersecretary, Roberto R. Bernardo, declared a failure of the bid and suggested re-bidding the project.

The complaint cited headlines of various newspapers and news agencies that said that as of 28 April 2016, the project cost had been declared at P4.9 billion, with the loan proceeds funding P4.2 billion, while the remaining P586 million would be funded through the national budget.

DPWH Undersecretary for Unified Management Office Operations (UPMO), Emil K. Sadain, revealed that a total of 29 bored piles have been completed offshore. The entire project will require 54 bored piles for the 32 piers, two abutments (in Tangub City, Misamis Occidental province and in Tubod, Lanao del Norte province), and two pylons for the main bridge.

The offshore construction works by Korean joint venture contractor Namkwang-Kukdong-Gumwang across Panguil Bay were inspected by DPWH in early November. According to Mr Sadain, each of the completed bored piles is subjected to cross hole sonic logging test after seven to 14 days of concrete pouring in order to ensure quality by assessing the integrity of materials used in the cast-in-site pile, as well as load test to determine the safety factor.

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