Laoang connector project greenlighted

CATARMAN, Northern Samar — The dream of connecting the island municipality of Laoang to the mainland has received a green light after the government signed a financing deal with the Korean government for the construction.

Finance Secretary Ralph Recto and Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok recently signed three agreements, including P6.34 billion for the Samar Pacific Coastal Road Project 2.

SPCR 2, which seeks to construct the Talisay-Laoang Bridge (Laoang Bridge 2) and the Calomotan-Pangpang Bridge (Laoang Bridge 3), will be supported by the Export-Import Bank of Korea-Economic Development Cooperation Fund.

Northern Samar Gov. Edwin Ongchuan said the completion of the bridge is a “dream come true” for his father, former Gov. Emil Ong, who first proposed the project in the 1980s.

“I extend profound gratitude to the national administration, especially President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Speaker Martin Romualdez, NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, and DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, for their unwavering support toward this transformative endeavor,” Ongchuan said.