The state-run Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) in partnership with the Department of Transportation (DOTr), is pushing for the rollout of the electronic terminal management system (ETMS) or the e-ticketing system at ports nationwide, to speed up and streamline ticketing processes, especially during peak seasons such as the Semana Santa, Undas, and election periods.
With the increase in passengers at the ports this Election 2025, the PPA has received the most complaints at the Batangas Port due to the lack of personnel at some shipping lines’ ticket booths.
A report submitted to the PPA revealed that among those affected were overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and passengers with children, who were inconvenienced by long-wait times and the lack of clear communication from shipping lines.
Some passengers waited for more than three hours before being able to buy tickets, as there were reportedly no tellers or representatives at the booths of some shipping companies.
With this, the PPA has directed the Batangas Port Management Office to contact the shipping lines to determine the cause of the delay and submit an explanation.
To prevent the problem from recurring, the PPA is pushing for the implementation of an e-ticketing system at ports nationwide in compliance with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to speed up and modernize the country’s transport system.
The PPA and DOTr expect e-ticketing to reduce long queues, speed up transactions, and strengthen the transparency and security of the system.
To ensure smooth flow at the ports on Election Day on Monday, May 12, personnel from port operations and security were fully deployed, while the Malasakit help desk and sanitation teams have been active since early morning to ensure public safety.
As of 6 a.m. on May 12, the PPA had recorded 918,645 passengers at ports nationwide. As of early evening, the PPA continued to monitor the terminals to ensure the smooth travel and safety of every passenger, the PPA and the DOTr said.
Last week, the PPA announced its public safety and security preparations at all major ports, in anticipation of 1.16 million travellers going home to their provinces where they have been registered as voters and then returning to their areas of work in urban centers across the country from May 9 to 13, 2025.
This forecast reflected a 5 percent increase from the 1.1 million passengers recorded during the 2022 election period. While still below pre-pandemic levels, such as the 1.75 million passengers in the 2019 midterm elections, the projected increase indicated a steady rebound in domestic port travel.
