PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — The Palawan government is proposing to convert the roll on, roll off (RoRo) docks in the province into cruise ports, hoping to entice more companies in the industry worldwide to venture into the province and make it a cruise ship hub in Southeast Asia.
The provincial government believes that the conversion would further boost Palawan as a preferred destination in the travel industry, considering its unique natural sights and pristine environment.
Provincial Information Officer Gil Acosta Jr. said Wednesday that Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez has already pitched for the RoRo conversion plan to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade , including the funding that the province would need.
Proposed for conversion into cruise ports are the RoRo docks in Bataraza, Coron, and the one undergoing construction in the northern town of El Nido.
“Actually, funding is not a problem right now in the Philippines, especially in provinces like us that are ready and have plans to do it,” he said.
Their establishment is part of the provincial tourism development plan that seeks to make Palawan a cruise ship tourism center in the country and in the Asian sub-region, Acosta said.
“To achieve this goal, we have to set up the infrastructure, which is the only way to increase tourism,” he said.
Acosta stated that in the past, Palawan, as the “last frontier,” has only received small funding allotments from the national government for infrastructure projects.
“It’s only now that they are investing so much in the province because they see that the provincial government is ready to absorb the funds coming from the national government,” he said.
During the recent inauguration of the San Vicente Airport, Tugade himself said that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte are supportive of the Palawan government’s tourism development plan.
“The Philippines is an archipelago consisting of many beautiful islands like Palawan, so we will entice international cruises to tour around here,” he said in San Vicente last May 10.
His comment was based on information from Governor Alvarez that they plan to expand to 500 meters the Buliluyan Port in Bataraza after an international cruise ship company expressed interest in bringing travelers to the province.
Acosta said the provincial government hopes the conversion would be included in the DOTr’s 2019 budget.
“What we’re trying is to set up the plan and then we ask budget from the national government because it will not be enough if we’ll just source it from our 20 percent development fund,” he said. (Celeste Anna Formoso/PNA)
