DOTC bares plan to develop more ro-ro routes

Aiming for more economic activities down south, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) the other day bared plans of developing additional roll-on-roll-off (ro-ro) routes along the country's western corridor.

DOTC Secretary Vicente Rivera said that the new sea routes will also serve as an inter-island link in line with the incumbent administration's transportation infrastructure development program.

"Because the Philippines is an archipelago, we have to use efficient transport systems to bring our people and our communities closer together," Rivera remarked.

Based on the agency's plan, the additional ro-ro routes will serve as an alternative to the existing Pan-Philippine Highway ro-ro lanes.

Presently, the DOTC is set to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study regarding the plan, which they want to carry out on a north to south course.

This alternative to the Pan-Philippine Highway ro-ro route shall, according to DOTC planners, be complemented by east to west lateral ro-ro trunklines.

These trunklines are aimed at enhancing the development of an integrated, sustainable and efficient land and water linkage of the country.

Rivera revealed the planned ro-ro lanes will be a combination of land and sea travel starting from Southern Luzon, passing through the western corridor of the archipelago towards the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Special Zone of Peace and Development (ZOPAD).

The new sea routes will also run through the area of the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) in Southern Mindanao with the whole network stretching out to the islands of Mindanao, Panay, Negros, Cebu and Bohol.

The new ro-ro ports that will be established, Rivera explained, will consist of basic waterfront facilities such as ramps, administration buildings, passenger terminal buildings, terminal areas and other necessary structures.

The DOTC chief said the establishment of the new ro-ro routes will facilitate the movement of passengers and cargoes and generate more investments and social interaction in the SZOPAD, ARMM, BIMP-EAGA areas and the Visayan region.

"With the opening of this new ro-ro system, the riding public, industries and tourists will be benefited in terms of shorter distance, more efficient and faster travel and lower operating costs," Rivera emphasized.

Funding for the feasibility study, meanwhile, will come from the Japan International Cooperation Fund (JICA) and is estimated to cost around P155 million. The study is set to commence on June this year until December 2002.