16/02/2026
Para sa tinuod, hayag og transparent nga inpormasyon..
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
A recent news article alleged that the cost of the Panglao–Tagbilaran City Offshore Bridge Connector (PTCOBC), also referred to as the “Third Bridge,” has ballooned to ₱10.43 billion per kilometer, purportedly making it approximately three times more expensive than comparable infrastructure projects in the country.
We are unable to verify the basis or source of this figure as cited by the newspaper. What is official and verifiable, however, is that under the Invitation to Bid issued by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) dated November 12, 2025, the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) for the PTCOBC was set at ₱7.1 billion.
Subsequently, DPWH published on its website Supplemental Bid Bulletin No. 2 dated November 25, 2025 which, among others, reduced the ABC to ₱6.9 billion.
It bears emphasis that while Governor Erico Aristotle C. Aumentado has been actively and consistently engaging the concerned national government agencies to ensure that the remaining components of the project are provided with sufficient funding for completion, the detailed engineering design, program of work, and final project cost estimates are determined by the DPWH, as the implementing agency.
Accordingly, the DPWH is the proper authority to clarify technical matters such as cost per kilometer and to provide a fair and accurate comparison with other similar bridge projects nationwide, taking into account differences in scope, design, and engineering complexity.
The Provincial Government of Bohol remains fully committed to working closely with national government agencies and all stakeholders to ensure the completion of this critical infrastructure project, guided at all times by the principles of transparency, accountability, and public interest.
