The Department of Finance on Saturday said the eyed Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge project in Manila Bay will help the country spur economic growth by connecting  Southern Luzon to Central Luzon in just 45 minutes. 

In a news forum, Finance Undersecretary Edita Tan said the Asian Development Bank-funded bridge project will "not turn into a white elephant" that requires much expense but yields little profit.

She added that the government has extensively prepared the investment for the project, particularly on the "limitation of the design of the project to Cavite alone."

The Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge is included in the government's 197 priority "Infrastructure Flagship Projects" seeking for the advancement of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s push for the socioeconomic agenda of the country, through the Build Better More program.

The project, with an estimated total cost of $3.91 billion, is seen to materialize the construction of a 32-kilometer climate-resilient bridge across Manila Bay connecting Bataan and Cavite, reducing travel time between the two provinces from 5 hours to just 45 minutes.

Once operational, the Finance department said it will "promote deeper regional economic integration and spur economic activity within Metro Manila, CALABARZON and Central Luzon."

Tan refutes allegations that the bridge project is just a "burdensome property or investment whose cost of upkeep is not in line with its usefulness or value."

"There's no way because they thoroughly studied it, we actually invested in the preparation of the project and the design of that," she said when asked it if will become another "white elephant" project for the government.

"You take into consideration you're not just limiting it to Cavite, you are connecting the southern part of Luzon which is the Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, and Quezon to this – so, that's the main goal – is to connect those areas," she added.

Tan also noted that the 32-kilometer project is comprised of "environmentally friendly aspects" as it mainly uses low-carbon technologies and materials.