A vital road system connecting Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Norte, a project personally ordered by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to accelerate progress in the Zamboanga Peninsula and the entire Mindanao region, is now 95 percent complete and set for opening by September 2025.
President Marcos has consistently emphasized the swift construction of high-impact infrastructure projects that directly benefit ordinary Filipinos, ensuring public funds are utilized judiciously. Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro reiterated the President’s directive during a Palace briefing on Thursday. “Dagdag pa ng Pangulo, dapat ay mabilis ang pagkakagawa ng mga kalsada at tulay upang agad itong mapakinabangan ng karamihan,” Castro stated, underscoring the urgency and importance of these developments.
In direct response to the President’s mandate, representatives from the Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently conducted a site visit to the R.T. Lim-Siocon Road. This collaborative effort ensures the efficient and accountable use of taxpayer money for meaningful projects, as affirmed by Undersecretary Castro: “Siniguro ng Department of Finance na maayos na nagagamit ang pondo ng taumbayan sa mga proyektong makabuluhan.”
The R.T. Lim–Siocon Road spans approximately 24.6 kilometers, featuring 24.3 km of Portland cement concrete pavement and six newly constructed bridges with a combined length of 430.11 linear meters. With 95 percent of the work completed, the Department of Finance confirmed its scheduled opening within the third quarter of 2025.
Upon its full completion, the road is expected to significantly revitalize Region IX’s economy. It will achieve this by substantially lowering transportation costs, boosting trade activities, and improving the seamless movement of people and goods across the region.
This critical infrastructure is a key component of the Improving Growth Corridors in Mindanao Road Sector Project (IGCMRSP), financed through official development assistance from the ADB and government funds. The IGCMRSP’s overarching goal is to expand the capacity of the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) road network, thereby unlocking Mindanao’s vast economic potential and enhancing peace and order in the region.
