Officials broke ground Friday on a 2.9-kilometer boardwalk serving as an esplanade with a view to a vast mangrove plantation where migratory birds have become a tourist attraction in this historical city.

Mayor Junard Chan said the boardwalk connecting Barangay Sabang in Olango island group and the tourism village of Pangan-an is expected to increase domestic and foreign visitors in the area.

“This boardwalk will not only provide easy access for the people during an emergency, but also a potential source of livelihood and employment opportunity for the residents,” Chan said in Cebuano during the project launch.

The mayor recalled that residents who had emergencies used to cross the shallow channel even during high tide, exposing their lives to danger, but with the boardwalk, they could seek treatment for sick residents.

“Pangan-an is dependent on solar power and a generator set as the source of its power supply. This boardwalk will connect the power lines to give Pangan-an electricity enough for the occupants,” he added.

Gumer Castillo, Department of Public Works and Highways’ district engineer for Lapu-Lapu, said the original plan was to build a six-meter-wide boardwalk connecting Sabang and Pangan-an.

However, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources wanted a smaller version of the boardwalk to prevent destruction of the marine habitat in the area. (PNA)