Eastern Visayas ports included in 17 priority port projects set for completion in 2007

Three Eastern Visayas ports are included in the 17 priority port projects in the various parts of the country which are set for completion in 2007.

Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Director General and Intrastructure Monitoring Task Force Chief Cerge Remonde said that the Liloan Ferry Terminal Port at Liloan, Southern Leyte; the Limasawa Port in Southern Leyte and the Naval Port in Naval, Biliran are included in the 17 priority infrastructure projects which upon the directive of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the government is set to complete this year.

The three ports are included in the Medium Term Plan Development and Investment Plan of Eastern Visayas which form part of the country’s Medium Term Development and Investment Plan under President Arroyo’s Super Region concept.

When completed the 17 ports are expected to reduce the travel time and cargo transport costs from Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao and vice versa. Secretary Remonde said. He pointed out that due to the SRNH, travel time from Mindanao through the Visayas region to Luzon and vice versa has been cut by 10 hours.

Aside from this, Remonde said transport costs for passengers were cut by 40 percent while cargo costs were cut by 30 percent.

Secretary Remonde said the 17 priority port projects form part of the 28 port projects the President identified in her Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH) program at the beginning of her administration and the Roro Nautical Highway under the Super Region concept.

At an aggregate cost of P23.5 billion spread until 2010, the SRNH aims to facilitate the end-to-end transport of passengers, goods and services from production to population centers to boost and maximize the economic potentials of the country's five Super Regions.

The other ports that are scheduled to be finished within this year are the Dingalan Port in Aurora Province; Batangas Port, Batangas; Cawit Port, Boac, Marinduque; Cawayan Port, Masbate; Pantao Port, Libon, Albay; Siquijor Port, Siquijor; Jagna Port, Bohol; Ubay Port, Bohol; Guisiliban Port, Camiguin; Cagayan de Oro Port, Misamis Oriental; Davao (Sasa) Port, Davao City; Balbagon (Mambajao) Port, Mambajao, Camiguin; Subic Bay Port Development Project; and Lucena Port Passenger Terminal Building in Quezon. (PIA)