Visayas legislators push for Sorsogon-Samar link
Legazpi City- Ever imagine travelling to the Visayas from Luzon without having to board a ferry in Matnog town in Sorsogon, instead you can leisurely drive across San Bernardino Strait even on inclement weather?
That’s what lawmakers from Eastern Visayas are envisioning to bridge the huge gap that separates Sorsogon and Samar provinces.
Visayan lawmakers led by former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and House Minority Lader Marcelino Libanan are pushing for the construction of a thoroughfare linking the provinces of Sorsogon and the island of Samar that would allow uninterrupted transport even during bad weathers.
House Bill No. 4589 entitled “An Act Providing for the Construction of an Undersea Tunnel or Bridge from the Province of Sorsogon to the Province of Northern Samar, and Appropriating Funds Therefor” states that the construction of either a bridge or an underwater tunnel would “bolster trade, stimulate local economies and enhance competitiveness in booth regions”.
Authored by 18 Visayas congressmen led by Romualdez and Libanan, the bill aims to provide “safer alternative to sea travel especially during typhoon season and adverse weather conditions, thereby reducing the risk of maritime accidents” and ensure continuous flow of goods, services and people regardless of weather condition.
The legislators noted that “the San Bernardino Strait which separates the two provinces serves as a natural barrier to the economic integration” of Luzon and the Visayas.
The bill was filed last September 15, 2025 and is now pending before the House Committee on Public Works and Highways.
Curiously, no Bicolano legislator much less the representatives of Sorsogon, Congw. Bernadette Escudero and Cong. Manuel Fortes joined as co-authors or co-sponsors of the bill.
Meanwhile, the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev)- Bicol had confirmed that the proposal had previously been taken up by the Regional Development Council (RDC) but was shelved due to lack of feasibility study.
DEPDev-Bicol Director Cynthia Berces said that since around 2018, the concept had already been floated and there had been initial assessments made by their former office, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), on the feasibility of the project.
Though Berches described the proposal as a “game-changer” if ever it materializes, but it has yet to see the light of day as there was no technology yet at the time that would possibly allow the construction of either a bridge or tunnel that can cross the San Bernardino Strait where the currents from the Pacific Ocean and West Philippines Sea collide.
Aside from the technology, the construction of the link would also be too costly, the official added.
Sometime in 2023, Infrawatch PH pushed for the construction of the Luzon-Visayas link to lessen the cost and travel time between the two islands. Bicol Files