DOTr seeks P1.4 billion for port expansion

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will require a minimum of P1.4 billion to expand and upgrade a total of 14 roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) ports across the Philippines.

Transportation Assistant Secretary Julius Yano said the DOTr is searching for financing partners and technical consultants who would work on the improvement of 14 ports connecting the three nautical highways.

Based on estimates, Yano said the DOTr would require at least P100 million each to complete all of the upgrades.

Yano said the DOTr wants to finalize the feasibility studies for the projects as soon as possible to include their cost in the 2025 budget. The agency sees the need to expedite the delivery of these plans given the contribution of the RoRo industry to trade and travel.

For one, Yano said the government seeks to promote the use of nautical highways for interisland connectivity. Likewise, the DOTr believes that the nautical highways can be maximized to scale up cargo transport across the islands, particularly between Luzon and Visayas.

The Philippines maintains a RoRo stretch made up of three routes: the Western Nautical Highway, Central Nautical Highway and Eastern Nautical Highway.

The Western Nautical Highway traverses eight points in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, starting in Batangas City, Batangas and concluding in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte.

The Central Nautical Highway crosses 10 ports between Pilar, Sorsogon and Balingoan, Misamis Oriental, while the Eastern Nautical Highways links Matnog, Sorsogon with Lipata, Surigao del Norte.

One of the projects that the DOTr is eyeing to implement is the expansion of the Port of Matnog in Sorsogon.

The agency plans to put up a backup area to widen the queuing space for RoRo vessels docking at the port.

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is working on the delivery of an additional 19 port projects within the year. Broken down, the agency wants to complete its renovation and upgrade of 11 facilities in Luzon, four in Visayas and four in Mindanao.

Among the ongoing projects, the PPA is spending the highest amount of P693 million for the rehabilitation and expansion of the Port of Sasa in Davao City.

The PPA is also finishing the P693-million upgrade of the Port of Catagbacan in Bohol and the P620-million construction of a cruise ship terminal in Siargao.