MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday led the inauguration of the Camalaniugan Bridge in Cagayan, a major step toward enhancing regional connectivity and mobility in Northern Luzon. In his speech, Marcos said the bridge would serve as "a model for many of the other bridge projects that we will be seeing around the country." "This will give many opportunities in the surrounding areas, opportunities for new jobs, for new businesses, and I’m sure that you will feel the effects, the economic effects in a very, very short time," Marcos said. The Camalaniugan Bridge has a total length of 1,580 meters, consisting of 1,100 meters of approach bridges and a 480-meter cable-stayed main span. It directly links the towns of Camalaniugan and Aparri, providing a crucial new transportation connection in the province. With its opening, travel time between Aparri and Ballesteros is expected to decrease from one hour to as little as 20 minutes, easing congestion, reducing transportation costs, and making daily commutes easier for residents and transport operators. It is expected to serve approximately 6,000 travelers daily, supporting regional trade, agriculture, logistics and tourism, while reinforcing the government’s commitment to modern, resilient and people-centered infrastructure development.