The One-Hour Walk to Remember in San Juanico Bridge

One of the reasons I visited Eastern Visayas is to take a picture with the longest bridge in the Philippines, San Juanico Bridge. Originally known as Marcos Bridge, it spans the very narrow San Juanico strait at 2.162 kilometers long from Santa Rita, Samar to Cabalawan, Tacloban City, Leyte. It was designed to allow some boats to pass the street truss girder at its main span.

Coming from an ordinary bus ride in Basey, I paid Php15 to alight at the Samar end of the bridge or simply “junction”. I started walking at the right side pedestrian way. Taking selfies while walking the bridge’s length, you can see below some whirlpools as these approach the concrete piers.

There’s a little island below the main steel bridge that acts as supporting foundation of main span as you walk closer to the vermillion bridge. The curved ascent is such a dramatic design that lets you see the full views of the strait.

Rumors said that the foundations of bridge were laid using cement mixed with blood of street children when First Lady Imelda Marcos ordered its construction in 1969. After 4 years, it was opened to the public, paving the way for fast transport between Leyte and Samar islands.

Despite of rumors circulating about its construction, still, it stood the test of time as it survived various catastrophes such as Typhoon Haiyan where it incur slight damage, but repaired.

I saw some youth and a family parked their vehicle to take some picturesque shots. I had the pleasure of time taking selfies and views that it was almost an hour when I got back to Leyte end of the bridge.

Overall, it was a nice walk from end-to-end. I appreciate the different views and breathing the fresh air and sea breeze. Truly a remarkable landmark worth of your time sauntering. Maupay nga biyahe!