State-run Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said passenger volume in the first nine months grew more than three-fold compared to the same period last yeardue to the easing of travel restrictions.
Latest data from PPA showed that passenger traffic reached 43.8 million in January to September,up from 10.2 million passengers that passed through Philippine ports in the same period last year.
Container traffic, on the other hand, increased 7 percent to 5.88 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in the first nine months from 5.49 million TEUs last year.
In the third quarter this year, container traffic was up by 9.7 percent to 2.03 million TEUs from 1.85 million TEUs last year.
Domestic boxes handled at the ports grew by 9.47 percent to 759,884 TEUs from 694,142 TEUs, while foreign boxes registered an increase of 10.4 percent to 1.27million TEUs as against the 1.15 million TEUs handled in the same period last year.
Of the total foreign boxes, import volume contributed 650,106 TEUs while export boxes chipped in 629,381TEUs or an increase of 10.75 percent and 10.08 percent, respectively.
Ship calls went up 29.9 percent to 119,977 in the third quarter from 92,359 in the same period last year. Domestic shipcalls stood at 116,940 during the period, while foreign ship callsnumbered 3,047.
President FerdinandMarcos Jr. earlier reappointed Jay Daniel Santiago as general manager of PPA.
Santiago vowed to further improve the country’s ports in terms of services and infrastructure, with special focus on digitalization of port operations and management.
Santiago, who replaced PPA officer-in-charge general manager Francisquiel Mancile, served as PPA head during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Established in 1974 by Presidential Decree No. 505, PPA is the primary government agency responsible for the planning, development and operation of the country’s ports or port districts.
