(L-R) DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos, DPWH Sec. Manuel Bonoan, Samar Gov. Sharee Ann Tan, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Tourism Secretary Maria Esperanza Christina Garcia Frasco, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) COO Mark Lapid, and Presidential Management Staff Secretary Maria Zenaida B. Angping. Screengrab from RTVM.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos leads the official switch-on of the San Juanico Bridge Aesthetic Light and Sound Show Project, the first of its kind in the country, with a ceremonial lighting in Sta. Rita, Samar Province on October 19, 2022.
The aesthetic lighting project was proposed to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) in 2015 by Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan and the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region 8 (Eastern Visayas). TIEZA allocated P80 million for the project that was completed by Amigo Entertainment Technologies, Inc. after more than three years of delay due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. An additional PhP90 million for the construction of a boardwalk was also funded by TIEZA.
With a distance of 2.16 kilometers, San Juanico Bridge is the longest bridge along the Pan-American Highway connecting Samar and Leyte, which stretches along the San Juanico Strait. The light show and colors can be customized depending on the occasion.
The project is seen to usher economic development by boosting the tourism industry in the southern part of Samar, particularly in the towns of Sta. Rita and Basey, and help address insurgency in the Province. Various people’s organizations have been trained to lead community-based tourism in Samar and promote its identity through ‘Spark Samar’, the Province’s tourism program.
