Government economic planners witnessing the continuous expansion of the Batangas port underscored its importance to the country’s development, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Friday.
“With the large volume of trade and passengers that it handles, the port of Batangas is so crucial that economic planners have underscored the importance of the continuous expansion of this major transportation hub to support the country’s economic transformation,” President Marcos said during the inauguration of the P1.3-billion Batangas Port Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) in Batangas City.
“This is because of this port’s multiple strategic roles. It is a gateway to the nation’s dynamic capital region, a portal to agricultural powerhouses, access point to island tourism paradises, and a receiver of goods that fill and fuel the vibrancy of our economy,” he said.
Maximizing the port of Batangas helps decongest Manila ports, causing the dispersal of economic activities to places more than capable of housing entrepreneurial and industrial boom, the President pointed out.
Inaugurating the bigger and better passenger terminal fully unlocks the potential of the places and people being served by Batangas port, President Marcos pointed out, adding it also validates its status, not as a provincial port, but as a port of national significance.
“Today’s activity is not only a reaffirmation of the importance of this Port of Batangas, but it’s also a vote of confidence in the promising and positive future of the entire CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, and Bicol regions,” he stated.
“Hindi lang ito halimbawa ng Build Better More na programa ng inyong pamahalaan sa inyong rehiyon. Ito ay patunay sa pagmamalasakit natin sa mga gawaing imprastraktura para sa buong bansa,” he said.
The upgraded terminal building of the Batangas port can now accommodate 8,000 passengers, much larger compared to its previous capacity of 2,500.
This is in addition to the facility’s multi-level car storage that can take on 13,000 vehicles.
This also increased the Batangas Port’s annual passenger capacity from four million to 12.8 million.
The project implementation generated more than 1,100 jobs and is expected to further generate around 1,800 jobs through the commercial establishments in the PTB.
The facility, supervised by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), is operated and managed by the Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) and its subsidiary ATI Batangas Inc. *PND*
