Earlier this month, I was reminiscing about a trip I made before the pandemic. I was in the Netherlands during one Holy Week to participate in the final defense of a PhD dissertation. I was the external panelist and was invited to be there in person. This was prior to the pandemic and the preference for online participation. I took advantage of the travel to make a side trip to a few locations I previously only watched onscreen. Several bridges there were subject of a World War II film, “A Bridge Too Far.” This was about the bridges the allies attempted to capture during Operation Market Garden. The term “a bridge too far” is now used to refer to the folly of going beyond what can really be achieved. It can also be used to refer to something (including bridges) that one sought to build or create but is just not called for or required.

I wrote in the past about projects that are nice to have but are not necessary or priority. These included bridge projects that are supposed to connect major islands in the Philippines. Given the limited resources we have and the long list of infrastructure projects that need to be prioritized, these shouldn’t be on top of a city’s or province’s list over projects like transit systems, affordable housing closer to workplaces and schools, and schools. And even if we did commit to bridges, it doesn’t make sense to build them where they are likely to cause more damage than benefits. One such bridge that is now in the pipeline and currently making the rounds of social media pages is the proposed bridge connecting Boracay Island to Panay Island. It simply doesn’t make sense to make a tourist attraction like Boracay more accessible to even more people. The island already exceeded its environmental carrying capacity many years ago and more people via this bridge will definitely be disastrous to its ecosystem aside from the social and economic impacts of the bridge.

I googled the land areas of three islands where bridges are proposed for construction. Here are the results:

“Guimaras is the largest of the three at roughly 611.87 square kilometers, followed by the Garden City of Samal at 301.35 square kilometers and Boracay, which is the smallest at only around 10.32 square kilometers. Guimaras is a province, Samal is a component city, and Boracay is a tiny tourism-focused island.”

While it might make sense for such bridges to be built to connect Iloilo with Guimaras and Davao with Samal Island, it doesn’t make sense for Boracay’s case. Guimaras and Samal will be better served by the bridges across many aspects of their being local government units and not just a tourist attraction. Guimaras’ mangoes, for example, can be transported more efficiently to Iloilo where a world class port can transport the fruits in bulk to destinations where they are in demand. The bridge will also ultimately link the island province to Iloilo’s airport. Both Guimaras and Samal have nice beaches and resorts but they are not the only attractions or activities of these islands. Granted that boatmen and maritime transport between the islands will be affected by the bridges, the impacts can probably be alleviated by a shift in their livelihoods (of course, with the assistance of government and partners). The perception is that Guimaras and Samal stand to gain more in terms of benefits while Boracay will deteriorate should it become so easily accessible.

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