PILAR, Bataan – Governor Jose Enrique Garcia III yesterday said President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and his late father, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., will be remembered as the builders of the longest bridges in the country.
As he honored the World War II veterans during the 81st commemoration of the Araw ng Kagitingan in this hallowed mountain, Garcia said the 32-kilometer Bataan – Cavite Interlink Bridge (BCIB), a one-of-a-kind structure that will give new hope and more progress to all Filipinos, will be built in the same area where the veterans demonstrated their heroism some 81 years ago.
He recalled that then President Marcos Sr. built the two-kilometer San Juanico Bridge that connects Samar and Leyte provinces, which was completed in 1973 and considered the longest bridge in the country.
The governor said if President Marcos, Sr. built the longest bridge in the Visayas then, 50 years later during the administration of his son “Bongbong,” the Bataan – Cavite bridge that will cross Manila Bay is poised to become the longest bridge in the country.
“Much like this iconic bridge that will not only connect two provinces but also the two largest regions, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog, our veterans served as the link that binds our love for country,” Garcia said.
Marcos Jr. led on March 31 a milestone ceremony for the detailed engineering design of the BCIB Project at the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific in Mariveles town, Bataan province.
The five-year construction of the BCIB is targeted to start during the first semester of 2024.
Garcia vowed that they will continue preserving and honoring the veterans’ memories and ideals towards unity and progress of the country and people.
“You are the foundation upon which our history stands, the driving force that propels us forward into the future. You have taken the crucial steps that have shaped our nation’s path and forged our identity,” the governor said, hailing the sacrifices of the veterans.
Likewise, he asked the audience to impart the stories of the war veterans to the next generations so that their sacrifices to free the country during World War II would always be remembered.
President Marcos, Jr. for the first time during his incumbency, set foot on the hallowed ground of Mount Samat where stand the War Memorial Shrine and the 92-meter high War Memorial Cross that his father built.
After offering a wreath of flowers along with several Japanese and American representatives, the young Marcos shook hands with surviving WWII veterans on the way to the stage. (PNA)
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