Romancing the second Mandaue-Mactan span

WHEN the first Mactan-Mandaue

Bridge was built in 1973, it

immediately became one of the most

spectacular sights outside of Metro

Manila.

The superstructure project spanning over the Mactan Channel,

linking mainland Cebu to the tiny historic island of Mactan, was

a marvelous engineering feat.

From the bridge, the view is marvelous. Visitors coming from the

Mactan-Cebu International Airport can have a sweeping look at

Mandaue and Cebu cities as their vehicles pass the highest

point of the kilometer-long span.

Most importantly, the

bridge is instrumental in

spurring the phenomenal

economic growth and

progress in Cebu.

But as the cities reached

full development,

vehicular traffic and

congestion became a daily

fare for many people

crossing the bridge.

During rush hours, commuters tell of many horror stories about

missing their flights or arriving late for appointments. The

inconvenience spared no one.

The most logical solution was to build a second Mactan bridge.

Planning began in 1993. By the end of the Ramos administration,

the P2.2-billion bridge project, funded through a loan from the

Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund, was in full swing.

On Aug. 3, the new bridge will be inaugurated by President

Estrada and will be opened to vehicular traffic. Some 30,000

motor vehicles were projected to pass through the bridge daily.

The four-lane bridge is slightly longer the first, with a hanging

cable design that is popular in many countries in Europe and the

United States but a novelty in the Philippines.

The late Cebuano Sen. Sergio ''Serging'' Osmeqa Jr. might not

have imagined a second bridge connecting Mactan to mainland

Cebu.

During the 1960s, people crossed the channel by ferry boats,

and Osmeqa was just dreaming about a bridge over it.

Cebuanos are now working on giving names to both bridges.

Rep. Eduardo Gullas has filed a bill naming the first bridge after

''Serging,'' and the second, in honor of former Senate President

Marcelo ''Celing'' Fernan, who passed away recently.

'Kodaki'

As government officials prepared for the baptismal rites of the

second bridge, a photo contest was launched by the Cebu Daily

News (CDN), a sister company of the Philippine Daily Inquirer,

to give the bridge a visual kind of romance and artistically

involve the Cebuano community in capturing its beauty.

The contest idea came to Dennis Valdez, a member of the CDN's

board of directors, while he was admiring the second bridge as

his car crossed the old one.

''Kodaki ang Bridge'' was born, considered as the biggest photo

contest in Cebu this year with Kodak and Canon as sponsors.

The contest was opened to all amateur and professional

photographers. The number of entries was unexpectedly high as

the deadline for submission came yesterday.

The top prize carried a modest cash reward of P30,000; second

prize, P20,000; and third, P10,000.

Winners will be announced on Aug. 3 in time with the opening

of the bridge. Entrie