President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday praised the nearly completed Camalaniugan Bridge in Cagayan province, calling it one of the most “beautiful” and well-executed infrastructure projects undertaken by the government — and a testament to Filipino engineering.
“We are looking at one of the most beautiful bridges that we have created in the Philippines,” Marcos said during his inspection of the 1,580-meter cable-stayed bridge connecting the towns of Aparri and Camalaniugan.
“The design was done locally. Kahit parang ginaya ‘yung mga tulay sa ibang bansa, talagang ito lahat galing sa atin (It may look like the bridges in other countries but this is really ours),” he added, emphasizing that Filipino engineers are capable of world-class design and execution.
The President also highlighted the bridge’s integrated flood control systems, saying it reflects what proper infrastructure should look like.
He commended local officials, led by Cagayan Governor Edgar Aglipay, for vigilantly monitoring the project to ensure it did not fall into the trap of incomplete or ghost infrastructure.
The PHP2.34-billion Camalaniugan Bridge is being built through a joint venture between Agafer Construction and China-based Hunan Road and Bridge Construction under a design-and-build scheme.
Construction began in 2021 but was delayed by the pandemic.
An additional PHP260.2 million is still needed to complete the remaining works, with full completion expected by January 2026.
Marcos, however, expressed hope that the bridge could be opened to the public “by Christmas.”
Once operational, the bridge will serve as an alternate route to the old Magapit Suspension Bridge and cut travel time between Aparri and Ballesteros from one hour to just 20 minutes, benefiting over 6,000 commuters daily.
