NEW ATTRACTION. The lighted San Juanico Bridge that connects the islands of Samar and Leyte. Four 15-minute light shows will illuminate the bridge on Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. (Spark Samar photo)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Samar provincial government has announced the schedule of light shows at the San Juanico Bridge, the newest tourist attraction in the province.
On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the bridge will be lit up by static light from 6 p.m. to midnight. And between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., the bridge will feature four 15-minute light shows.
From Mondays to Thursdays, when visitors are considerably fewer, static light will still illuminate the structure but only for a shorter period from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
“The static light display is the steady red, blue, and green color display while the dynamic display features the captivating light show,” the Samar provincial government said in an announcement on Monday.
The local government is the proponent of the PHP80 million project funded by the Tourism Enterprise Zone Authority.
The provincial government will be paying the electricity bill and assume the task of maintaining the lights.
The local government said visitors could dine at San Juan by the Bay or Pascualino's Ristorante Italiano while viewing the glowing bridge. For those who want to see the bridge from a different view, tourists were urged to try the San Juanico Cruises.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos formally switched on the San Juanico Bridge aesthetic lighting project on the night of Oct. 20.
The lighting of the San Juanico Bridge signals the turn of Samar to “shine” after its slow rise from the effects of natural disasters, Governor Sharee Ann Tan said.
The 2.16-kilometer San Juanico Bridge stretches from Samar to Leyte Island and is the longest bridge along the Pan-Philippine Highway that connects Luzon and Mindanao.
Built in August 1969 and completed in 1972, the bridge has stood the test of calamity, hurdling Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) that ravaged Eastern Visayas on Nov. 8, 2013. (PNA)
