By JUNE S. BLANCO

AN AUSTRALIAN investor is bullish to build the Bohol-Cebu Friendship Bridge and a renewable energy power plant. Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado (Bohol, 2ndDistrict) met with the investor who said he just needs the green light to fund the construction of the bridge until completion under the public-private partnership program. To recoup his investment, the investor said he will charge toll fees as a fund recovery mechanism provided in the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law. The investor, the solon said, is ready to fund the feasibility study and detailed engineering design to prepare the groundwork for the construction. The bridge, estimated to be 22 kilometers long and costing between P30 billion to P35 billion, will make Bohol accessible to the Cebu market not only in terms of goods and services but also in terms of tourist influx. Aumentado is equally bullish for this project, this being the brainchild of his father and namesake, the late Rep. Erico Boyles Aumentado. The son recalls the excitement of his father every time he discussed the project with prospective investors. The father was a visionary – always thinking ahead of his time. He caused the concreting of the Bohol Circumferential Road, allowing easy transport of goods from the towns to the Tagbilaran market, hastening the economic development of the towns. Even the proposed Panglao Airport, conceived during the time of former Gov. Constancio Torralba and pursued by his successors in former governors David Tirol and Rene Relampagos, made big strides during Aumentado's incumbency as governor. The Bohol-Cebu Friendship Bridge opening up opportunities for farmers, the unemployed and for tourism is classic “Erico Aumentado mind”at work.

The Australian investor promised the young congressman that his company will mobilize resources to bankroll this project that will leapfrog Bohol's development in the light of the ASEAN economic integration. Rep. Aris says he wants to strengthen the agriculture development of the 2nd District to capitalize on the integration. On top of the bridge, Aumentado said the investor is exploring the possibility of putting up a 15-megawatt (MW) renewable power plant to support the investment initiatives of the province. To recall, as early as 2007, then Gov. Aumentado had predicted that by 2015 to 2018, Bohol will suffer from severe power shortage, especially with the construction of the Panglao Airport that is expected to need between 20-25 MW. He had invited investors like the Ayalas to fill in the power gaps. Even the multi-purpose Northern Bohol Basin initiated by the late governor and pursued by his congressman son is expected to produce another 10 MW. Adding to this the 15 MW renewable energy the Australian investor's company will put up, will strengthen Bohol's infrastructure development to entice investors to locate in the province.