In Photo: Former President Rodrigo Duterte with China Pres. Xi Jinping.
* Say the bridge is gift from China and a legacy from Pres. Duterte By ivy Tejano
DAVAO CITY – Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. together with Sec. Vince Dizon of the Department of Public Works and Highways and his political allies in Davao visited the Davao River–Bucana Bridge, a major infrastructure project that now spans the southern and northern portion of the city coastal boulevard.
The bridge planning, sourcing of funds and signing of pre construction documents started in 2018 under the Build, Build, Build program of former President Rodrigo Duterte who later obtained a P3.1-billion Official Development Assistance grant from the Chinese government after his visit and audience with Pres. Xi Jinping in Beijing.
The China Road and Bridge Corporation serves as the project contractor under the DPWH as the implementing agency. It was targeted and accomplished in November 2025 and presently undergoing a few finishing touches.
Marcos, after inspecting the bridge, said that it is expected to reduce travel time from almost two hours to just 20 to 25 minutes once it formally opens.
“We are here at the Bucana Bridge. This 1.3-kilometer bridge is part of the entire bypass being built around Davao City, and we estimate that the travel time, which used to take almost 2 hours, will be reduced to just 25 to 20 minutes,” Marcos told reporters.
DPWH Secretary Dizon and other Cabinet members that include Presidential Assistant Anton Lagdameo, Rep. JM Lagdameo and MinDa Sec. Leo Magno are with Marcos to assess the bridge’s progress ahead of its eventual opening to the public on December 15.
Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte earlier announced on his Facebook account that Marcos will visit the city on Thursday, December 4, to inspect the newly completed Davao River-Bucana Bridge.
“BBM will come tomorrow to take a look at ‘his’ Bucana Bridge,” Duterte said. “Start clapping ahead of time, pity the man.” The post drew reactions, with some netizens joking that Marcos might claim credit for a project which he had no hands at all.
According to the DPWH, the bridge is a five-pylon, double–cable-plane extradosed prestressed concrete continuous girder structure with a total length of 480.2 meters. Its deck width ranges from 22.24 to 23 meters.
Following his visit, President Marcos posted on his Facebook page the following:
“Ang 1.34-kilometer Bucana Bridge na sinimulan noong 2023 ay magbubukas na sa December 15! Ang biyahe na halos dalawang oras noon, magiging 20–25 minutes na lang ngayon.
Ginhawang siguradong mararamdaman ng mahigit 14,000 motorista araw-araw, lalo na ngayong papalapit ang Kapaskuhan”.
Since no mention was made by the President on his inspection visit, netizens in the know took the cudgels of putting on record that the bridge was funded and constructed by China with a grant of ₱3.126-billion during the time of former President Duterte. They stressed that the bridge and the entire stretch of the coast boulevard are legacies of Duterte.
Like the Bucana Bridge, the Davao-Samal bridge is also funded by China and being constructed by China Road and Bridge Corporation.
