From 6 hours to just 1 hour

If you're familiar with the Island of Mindoro, chances are, you may have traveled a grueling 6-8 hours from Puerto Galera to Abra de Ilog even though they are just 25 kilometers from each other. Soon, they will be just 1 hour apart when a new road is completed.

A mountain pass, called the Puerto Galera-Abra de Ilog Road, conceived to link the two towns is about 60% complete according to the Department of Public Works and Highways. This P1.8-billion-peso road spans 18.2 kilometers, traversing the northern part of Puerto Galera (Talipanan Section). Its 2.9 kilometers are in the Oriental Mindoro side while the remaining 15.2 kilometers is on the Abra de Ilog (Camurong Section) side in Occidental Mindoro.

When completed, travel time from Puerto Galera to Abra de Ilog or vice versa could be as little as an hour, especially for motorcycles. The completion of this road means that the Island of Mindoro can now be looped, similar to the North Luzon Loop, Bohol Loop, and Panay Loop that is enjoyed by many motorcycle riding enthusiasts.

The Mindoro Circumferential Road Project started in 2014.