Philippines: Bridges to hasten Guimaras growth

The province of Guimaras, which was saddled with a 75 percent poverty rate in the early 1990s, has jumped from being one of the 20 poorest provinces nationwide to one of the most prosperous ones today. Presently, the poverty level is 13.3 percent and Gov. Felipe Hilan A. Nava thinks the rate would be further reduced as more bridges link the agricultural base in the interior to the coastal areas, from which export-quality mangoes could be shipped to foreign buyers.

Nava said Guimaras mangoes are the world’s sweetest and they can be even sweeter if transport time is reduced drastically. Apart from mangoes, Guimaras can also be the country’s sweet potato capital since the root crop grows in abundance in the island-province. This year, three steel bridges were completed in Guimaras. They are the 15-meter Bugnay Bridge in Jordan, the capital, which was finished on March 15; the 28-8-meter Igcawayan Bridge in San Lorenzo, and the 20-meter Mantasic Bridge Bridge in the same town, completed on September 30. Nagay Bridge in San Lorenzo, which will be 28.8-meters long when completed, is still being built along with the Gumawod Bridge in Sibunag, which is of the same length.

Source: tempo.com.ph