Sara Duterte to grace opening of Liloan port project

CEBU, Philippines —  Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte is expected to lead the inauguration of a port project dubbed as Pier 88 in Liloan town, Cebu this morning.

It was also Duterte who led the groundbreaking for the new passenger ferry and cargo vessel port on March 22, 2019 in Barangay Poblacion in the same town, just behind the San Fernando Rey Parish Church.

During the groundbreaking, Duterte described the project as an example of how a town can progress if the private sector, the local government unit (LGU), and the Church help one another to improve the quality of life of the residents.

The Pier 88 is developed by Topline Group, a private developer, on a one-hectare property in Poblacion owned by the Roman Catholic Church. The Archdiocese of Cebu has leased out the property to the developer, while the road network leading to the port is maintained by the LGU of Liloan.

Pier 88 Ventures Inc. vice president and chief operating officer Kyle Gregory Uy, who pledged to invest P1 billion for the project, said that the development will bridge the gap from Liloan to Cebu City and Mactan Island.

The port project is aimed at easing the traffic congestion of Metro Cebu and connecting Liloan by port to Mactan Island and Cebu City.

Liloan Mayor Christina Frasco said there are over 10,000 residents from her town, all the way to Danao City, who will gain from the project as the usual three-hour travel time will be cut to just 35 minutes.

These workers are currently employed in different locators at the Mactan Export Processing Zone and other establishments in neighboring cities in the metropolis.

The Pier 88 is expected to ease the inland traffic with the three ferries carrying 300 passengers at a time.

The ferries will also take 10 trips a day in two routes, Liloan-Mactan docking at the Mactan Wharf near the MEPZ and Liloan-Cebu City docking at Pier 3 in the Cebu City port.

Frasco is hoping that with the newest development in Liloan’s connectivity around the metro, it would boost both investments and tourism.

After the port inauguration at 9 a.m. today, Duterte is also set to grace the League of Municipalities in the Philippines (LMP)-Cebu Chapter general meeting at Woodlands, One Tectona in Barangay Yati, Liloan at 11 a.m.

At the LMP meeting, the Cebu Forward app will be launched. The app is the innovative platform for Cebu Province residents made possible by the efforts of the Mayor Frasco as LMP-Cebu Chapter president. — JMD (FREEMAN)