BRIDGING THE GAP
The railroad network in the Visayas (I)
The need to construct a system of railroads in the Visayas was one that was given attention to by the authorities in the early days of the American occupation of the Philippines. It must be borne in mind that during the Spanish times the only railroad found in the country was in Luzon, the so-called Manila-Dagupan Railway Line. The line was built not by the Spanish engineers but by English capital and was managed by an English company.
Despite the urgent need, it was difficult to find interested private individuals or companies to come to the Philippines to construct railroads. Thus, it was deemed advisable on the part of the American insular officials to get authority from the U.S. Congress for the Philippine colonial government to guarantee interest on bonds to be issued by companies building railroads and for railroad purposes. Such an authority was finally given by the Act of U.S. Congress approved in February 1905, the main feature of which “authorized and empowered the Government of the Philippine Islands to enter into a contract or guaranty with any individual or corporation undertaking railroad construction in the archipelago.” (Manila Daily Bulletin, November 3, 1907) In this regard, the Government would guarantee interest, at not exceeding four percent per annum for thirty years on bonds to be limited to the amount of actual cash invested in the construction and equipment of such railroads. The Act further provided for Government supervision of the location, construction, operation and maintenance of the railroads.
A group consisting of the J.G. White & Co. and the Manila Electric Railroad & Light Co. eventually was formed large enough to bid for the concession covering the construction of the proposed lines in the islands of Panay, Negros and Cebu. The group became known as the Philippine Railway Co. Under this company, the roads were to be constructed entirely with private capital, the government merely guaranteeing the interest on the bonds for a period of thirty years. The concession for the construction of the lines in the Visayan islands was granted in December 1905 (Report of the Philippine Commission 1906).
The contract for the construction work was assigned to the J.G. White & Co., one of the largest contracting firms in the world. The concession granted the Philippine Railway Co. provided for the following lines of railways in the Visayan islands: in Panay, from Iloilo City to a northerly direction to Batan (in present-day Aklan), with a branch to Capiz (now Roxas City), Capiz, a total distance of approximately 161.5 kms; in Negros, from Escalante to Himamaylan following in general the north and west coast line, a distance of about 240 kms.; and in Cebu, a line along the east coast from Danao north of the city of Cebu to Argao in the south, a distance of about 102 kms. and an optional line from either Carcar or Sibonga to Barili and Dumanjug on the west coast (Report of the Philippine Commission 1907).
The engineering corps necessary to conduct location surveys arrived in Manila in June 1906 and teams were immediately dispatched into the field, two going to Panay, one to Negros, and one to Cebu (Manila Daily Bulletin, November 3, 1907).
The surveying parties found many difficulties to contend with. In Panay, because of the inadequacy of roads and the few existing ones being in poor condition, it was almost impossible to get over them. New trails had to be made and bridges built over some of the streams in order to permit the parties and their supplies. Much of the land north of Passi in Iloilo, for example, was covered with a dense growth of bushes, cogon and vines that it was necessary for the parties to cut their way through, with hired natives leading the way with bolos (Ibid).