The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is on track to build five cruise terminals in prime tourist destinations in the country.
Jay Santiago, PPA general manager, said the country’s first dedicated cruise terminal in Siargao is almost 99 percent complete.
“We will also have a groundbreaking in Coron, Palawan for another cruise terminal for next year,” Santiago added.
PPA plans to build a permanent cruise terminal in Aklan to cater to the passengers and tourists going to Boracay.
Santiago said the agency is also looking at the nominated location for a cruise terminal in Bohol and another one in Camiguin.
“Those are the five (cruise terminals) that we will focus on,” he added.
Last month, PPA launched its PPAsyalTayo campaign in time for the expected influx of passengers during the “ber” months. This aims to advocate traveling via the improved and new seaports to boost the passenger operations of the ports and help spur the economy by local travel via sea.
In the last four months of 2022, PPA recorded a total of 19.7 million passengers in its 25 Port Management Offices (PMO).
The highest number of passengers recorded at almost 6 million was reached at the Port of Iloilo during that period, followed by the Ports of Batangas, Jordan (PMO Panay/ Guimaras), Babak (PMO Davao) and Calapan (PMO Mindoro).
In a related development, construction of the K9 Academy, a joint project of the PPA and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), is now 76 percent complete. This will cater to at least 128 K9 dogs and 100 handlers.
The K9 Academy is capable of providing all quality training and techniques, and best practices for the skills of dogs, breeding, maintenance and veterinary care.
The academy is inclusive of five organizations: Canine Development Center, Canine School, Canine Breeding Center, Canine Hospital, and Kennel Management and Biosecurity.
Other than the PPA Port Police and PCG, the K9 Academy can also cater to other government agencies’ future K9 requirements.
