The lighting of San Juanico Bridge signals the turn of Samar province to “shine” after their slow rise from the impacts of natural disasters, Governor Sharee Ann Tan said during the ceremony Wednesday night.
Tan said the switch-on is the symbolic signal that Spark Samar is now “a burning flame that shines like a beacon of hope for the people of Samar.”
“When the lights of the San Juanico Bridge start to shine tonight, remember me as I say, ‘it’s time for Samar!’ ”, Tan told key national and local officials during a gathering after the ceremony at the Pasqualino Ristorante Italiano in San Juan village, Sta. Rita, Samar.
“During the post-Yolanda (Haiyan) years, we saw the steady rise of our neighbors, Tacloban City and Leyte. To us, they seemed like phoenixes rising from the ashes at the wake of the destruction caused by the super typhoon. As we cheered them on and witnessed their magnificent transformation, we couldn’t help but feel a little left behind. Their success inspired and motivated us to do and become better,” Tan added.
The project, she said, was conceptualized in 2017 as part of the Spark Samar Development Agenda that highlights tourism and agriculture, the two main assets of the province.
“These are the main drivers for economic change coupled with good governance as the key foundation, to cut across all the pillars of our developmental goals that would eventually allow us to attain community transformation and economic prosperity for the people of Samar,” she said.
Responding to the governor’s statement, President Ferdinand R. Marcos recalled that the bridge was built in 1973 for Samar and not for Leyte.
“And that is why it was very, very important that this bridge be built to give Samar some of the advantages that Tacloban has, that this — the island, the province of Leyte has. And so as you… To respond to your cry na, ‘Samar naman’ ,” I would like to say, dati pa naman, Samar na,” Marcos told local officials.
For Tan, the project will open the doors of Samar and invite all to visit the breathtaking sites, explore the mysterious caves, invest in growing cities and emerging towns, taste the delectable cuisine, immerse in local culture, and get to know the people of Samar.
Samar province is one of the poorest in the region of the country.
In the 2021 report of the Philippine Statistics Authority, 33.9 percent of the population in Samar is considered poor or has income below the amount needed to buy their basic needs.
Some villages in Samar province are still threatened by the presence of the New People’s Army.
The Samar local government is the proponent of the project funded through the PHP80-million outlay from TIEZA in 2018.
Pandemic movement restrictions delayed the completion of the project.
The San Juanico Bridge Aesthetic Lighting Project is the first of its kind in the country. The light show and colors can be customized depending on the occasion.
Although the entire bridge was installed with LED lights, it will not distract traffic flow since the lights were placed in the outer part of the bridge.
The 2.16-kilometer San Juanico Bridge is the longest bridge along the Pan-Philippine highway that connects Luzon to Mindanao.
Built in August 1969 and completed in 1972, with a span of 2.162 kilometers and connecting Samar and Leyte Island, the bridge stood many challenges with the Super Typhoon Yolanda that ravaged Eastern Visayas on Nov. 8, 2013. (PNA)
