VP Sara credits FPRRD for Bucana Bridge construction
VICE PRESIDENT Sara Duterte on Friday corrected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in taking credit for the Bucana Bridge as one of his legacy projects in Davao City.
The vice president highlighted the direct intervention of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, in securing financing for the Davao River Bridge, commonly known as the Bucana Bridge, when she was still the mayor of Davao City.
Duterte said it was the former president who “found a way” to ensure the vital infrastructure plan would push through.
The story behind the funding
“The Bucana Bridge is part of the entire Davao City Coastal Road. The coastal road cannot cross the Bankerohan River without the Bucana Bridge. At that time, when I was mayor, the coastal road had a budget, but the bridge was unfunded.”
“It was made known to former President Rodrigo Duterte that the bridge was unfunded, and he sought a way to provide funds for the bridge. When he found the funds, the negotiations, planning, and all the necessary paperwork for that bridge began,” she explained.
“We thank former President Rodrigo Duterte because he did not stop searching for funds for that bridge, and of course, we thank the People’s Republic of China because they fully provided the entire costs of that bridge.”
She also emphasized that the national government and Davao City did not spend a dime on the construction of the bridge.
On President Marcos’ statement
When asked about the recent statement by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who inspected the bridge and claimed it was one of the four main legacy projects under his administration, Duterte said:
“For me, as a Davaoeño and as a Mindanawon, I thank former President Rodrigo Duterte because the truth is, at that time, he knew my problem as mayor: there was a coastal road, the coastal road had a budget, but we had no budget for the bridge,” she said. “And yes, the source of the fund is the People’s Republic of China. They are the ones I thank.”
The project, with a total contract cost of ₱3.126 billion, was fully funded through an official grant from the Chinese government. The partnership was carried out under a contract with the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).
The Bucana Bridge is officially set to open to traffic on Dec. 15, 2025.
