State-run Philippine Ports Authority said Thursday it is reviving the roll-on roll-off or Ro-Ro port system to boost trade and tourism.
“The Ro-Ro system is the most efficient means to connect the country’s islands, which is why it is important to guarantee its continued viability for trade and tourism,” PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago said.
“With the influx of bigger, high-capacity and sophisticated Ro-Ro vessels, we need a responsive port system to cater to these demands,” he said.
The administration of former President Benigno Aquino III cancelled most Ro-Ro port contracts in 2011. The Ro-Ro system is a project initiated by former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
PPA said the revival of Ro-Ro ports was in response to the request of the private sector, specifically Ro-Ro operators, to improve port facilities amid their initiatives to modernize their fleet.
Santiago said his agency was collaborating with the Manila Sports Car Club to traverse the western node of the Ro-Ro highway.
The western node is composed of the ports of Batangas, Mindoro, Caticlan, Iloilo, Bacolod, Dumaguete and Dapitan in Zamboanga. This node registered massive growth in trade since it was launched in 2003.
“The MSCC, whose members own vintage and classic vehicles, will experience the ports capability to handle ordinary commuter vehicles. If the ports can handle the special requirements of these unique vehicles then surely, our ports can definitely handle the requirements of everyday vehicles,” Santiago said.
He said after the Western Nautical Highway, PPA would also develop the Central and Eastern Seaboard. The Central Nautical Highway links Pilar, Sorsogon and Balingoan in Cagayan de Oro while the Eastern Nautical Highway links the province of Biliran, Western Leyte and Surigao City.
The modernization and expansion of the operations of the Ro-Ro system is one of the top priorities identified by the Duterte administration to maintain inter-island connectivity.
The government continues to encourage additional private sector investments in Ro-Ro operations particularly in areas where there is a huge traffic volume.
The Arroyo government issued a policy in 2003 to promote Ro-Ro, a system designed to carry rolling stock cargo that does not require cranes for loading or unloading.
The Strong Republic Nautical Highway is one of Arroyo’s priority programs to ensure fast and economical movement of goods and people, and to boost domestic tourism and trade.
The Asian Development Bank earlier said the Ro-Ro system cut the cost of the transport system and travel time in the Philippines.
