President Bongbong Marcos traveled to Davao City on Thursday to inspect the newly completed 1.3-kilometer Davao River (Bucana) Bridge, a major component of the multibillion-peso Davao City Bypass project.
The structure, built by Chinese contractors and scheduled for a soft opening on December 15, is expected to reduce travel time from nearly two hours to just 20–25 minutes.
“This is one of four major legacy projects we are finishing in Davao and its environs,” Marcos said, marking a strong administrative presence in a city long viewed as the political stronghold of the Duterte family—now among his sharpest critics.
The entire bypass is set for completion in December 2027, positioning it as one of the most significant infrastructure undertakings in Mindanao in recent decades.
Marcos highlighted the project’s rapid progress, noting that although approval was granted in July 2022, construction only began in late 2023 once documentation cleared.
He credited the bridge’s swift completion to its Chinese builders, pointing to their “technology, speed, and correct pricing,” remarks made amid heightened scrutiny of China-funded projects amid shifting geopolitical tensions.
Davao City and the wider Davao Region remain the home base of former president Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte, whose political rift with Marcos has intensified.
This divide was evident during the 2025 midterm polls, when Marcos’ “Alyansa Para Sa Bagong Pilipinas” slate was wiped out in the region, with voters overwhelmingly supporting the “DuterTEN” PDP-Laban lineup, joined by Senator Camille Villar and former Senator Gringo Honasan.