PALO, Leyte — A bridge or tunnel connecting the Visayas and Mindanao islands will undergo a feasibility study this year, alongside a similar study for a proposed fixed link between Matnog, Sorsogon and Allen, Northern Samar.

House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has committed funds for a feasibility study on the proposed fixed link between Southern Leyte and Surigao del Norte.

“DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon told me that the two feasibility studies will be fully funded this year, bid out, and thoroughly studied,” Libanan told the Daily Tribune in an interview.

“This will practically connect Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao with permanent structures,” he added.

The 2026 General Appropriations Act allocated P130 million for the feasibility study of the Luzon–Visayas link.

In September 2025, Libanan filed House Bill 4950 proposing the construction of either a bridge or tunnel for the Visayas–Mindanao link. He also authored House Bill 4589, which seeks to establish a Luzon–Visayas bridge.

Libanan said the geographical separation between Leyte and Mindanao has long posed challenges to the seamless movement of people, goods and services, with the Surigao Strait serving as a natural barrier.

He noted that ferry services operating between Liloan, Southern Leyte and Surigao City are vulnerable to weather disruptions, capacity limitations and delays, hampering the free flow of commerce and travel.

“The construction of a permanent land link — whether through a long-span bridge or an undersea tunnel — between Southern Leyte and Surigao del Norte will transform the movement of people, goods and services in the Visayas and Mindanao,” Libanan said.

He said the proposed structure would provide a direct, safe and reliable passage; boost trade; stimulate local economies; and enhance business competitiveness.

Libanan added that the infrastructure would enhance national and regional tourism by creating a vital gateway between the Visayas and Mindanao, while reducing dependence on maritime transport, which is prone to risks during typhoons and inclement weather.

“This infrastructure will physically unite the Visayas and Mindanao in the same way the San Juanico Bridge connected Leyte and Samar,” he said. “It will serve as a symbol of national integration and a strategic investment in the country’s long-term development and unity.”