The Department of Transportation (DOTr) yesterday said it has completed 143 social tourism port projects nationwide in the last two years.
DOTr said of the total projects, 52 ports are in Luzon, 64 ports in Visayas and 27 ports are located in Mindanao. The completed projects have managed to generate 4,000 jobs, and assisted over 8,000 fisherfolk nationwide.
These seaport projects involve the construction of new and modernized social and tourism ports as well as the rehabilitation and expansion of existing ports to provide better accessibility to fishers, tourists and coastal communities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Opportunities likewise abound for coastal communities and fishers with better port facilities, while tourism is also seen to provide a lift in geographically displaced areas, the DOTr said.
The agency said 16 port projects in Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan as well as seven port projects in Bohol were completed and inaugurated.
Other major port projects which have been completed are the Port of Cagayan de Oro, which houses the country’s biggest passenger terminal building; Port of Ormoc; Ports of Borac, San Fernando and Bataraza in Palawan; Port of Opol in Misamis Oriental; Port of General Santos; Port of Dumaguete; Port of Currimao in Ilocos Norte; Port of Dumaguete; and Babak Port in Davao del Norte.
These projects form part of the 484 port projects completed by DOTr and the Philippine Ports Authority nationwide over a five-year period under the Build, Build, Build infrastructure program.
At present, DOTr said it is swiftly working on the completion of 101 more port projects which are under construction.
