P500M set aside for upgrade of 3 ports

The government has allotted P500 million for the improvement of cargo sea ports that are key to boosting economic activity in three provinces outside Metro Manila.

Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II said the Tabaco Port in Albay in Bicol and cargo ports in Iloilo and Ormoc in Leyte are up for improvements set to start this year.

“President Aquino has just approved the budget for these ports,” Roxas said Monday during a weekly press conference.

“All this is being done to increase the amount of cargo these facilities can handle,” Roxas said. “The existing facilities are no longer enough,” he told reporters. He said the improvements were urgent due to the growing amount of cargo passing through the facilities.

The biggest of the three projects would be the Commercial Port Complex in Iloilo. Roxas said the facility is expected to see a significant rise in cargo “throughput” due to a recent policy to reduce cargo activity going up the Iloilo river due to environmental concerns.

The Iloilo project is expected to cost about P300 million, said Roxas, who was President Aquino’s running mate and the head of the ruling Liberal Party.

Meanwhile, the expansion of the Port of Tabaco and the Port of Ormoc is expected to cost about P100 million each. Both will involve reclamation of land to increase their respective cargo handling areas. The budget for these projects was approved last week, Roxas said.

Roxas said the projects are expected to increase trade in the provinces and surrounding areas, boosting economic activity.

The three facilities are the first set of ports that the Department of Transportation and Communications has lined up for improvements. Other projects on the DoTC’s list include the development of airports in Puerto Princesa, Bohol and Cebu, as well as improvements of Metro Manila’s train lines.