Bridge delay saves Irrawaddy dolphins

The Korean government’s recent decision to suspend a P28.7-billion (700-billion won) loan facility to the Philippines has stirred mixed reactions. While it may delay major infrastructure projects, including the massive Panay–Guimaras-Negros (PGN) Bridge, environmentalists are hailing it as a rare victory for one of the country’s most critically endangered marine species.

The PGN Bridge, a 32.47-kilometer megastructure connecting Panay, Guimaras and Negros, is slated to cost P189 billion.

The Korea Export-Import Bank had pledged over $1 billion to fund the first segment — a 13-kilometer stretch linking Panay and Guimaras — along with $56.6 million for engineering services like detailed design and procurement assistance.

But for a group of young marine conservationists, the bridge’s planned route through the Guimaras Strait poses an existential threat to the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris). This critically endangered species relies on the strait as one of its last strongholds in the Philippines.

“The strait is a habitat for Irrawaddy Dolphins, and construction would bring noise pollution that stresses these animals and could even lead to deaths,” said Mangrove Matters PH in a statement. “With their population already declining, we cannot risk pushing them to extinction.”

Concerns about the dolphins date back to 2020, when the bridge was first proposed under the Duterte administration.

Marine scientists from the Society for Marine Mammalogy warned then-DPWH Secretary Mark Villar that construction could threaten the fragile population, which numbers only around 10–30 individuals in the Iloilo-Guimaras Straits, including the Pulupandan-Bago estuary and the coastal waters of Buenavista, Guimaras.

Fishermen in the area even use sightings of the dolphins to locate schools of fish and shrimp.

The Irrawaddy dolphin population here is one of just three known in the Philippines — the others being in Malampaya Sound, Palawan, and the coastal waters of Quezon — each isolated and critically endangered.

“While the bridge promises economic benefits, the environment shouldn’t pay the price. We are in a climate crisis, and protecting natural habitats is a nature-based solution,” the group said.

For Mangrove Matters PH, the suspension is a small but significant win. They are now calling on the Philippine government to designate the Irrawaddy dolphin’s habitat in the Guimaras Strait as a Marine Protected Area, ensuring these gentle marine mammals have a future amid the country’s push for development.