ILOILO CITY — Iloilo province is pushing for the development of Dumangas port as an international container port that could accommodate more and bigger vessels, the provincial administrator said Monday.
Raul Banias said he and Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. will meet with Jay Daniel R. Santiago, Western Region manager of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), on Feb. 15 to discuss their plans for the development of the port here.
“This would allow the governor to know the plans of PPA about the Dumangas port,” he said, adding that developing the port is one of the key factors in the governor’s plan to attract big investors and put up an economic zone in the province with a port that could handle big vessels.
He disclosed that the PPA has already prepared the conceptual design for the proposed international port.
“It is just a matter of getting the funds approved. That is why we want to know what we can do from our end in order to really push through with the development of the Dumangas port,” he said.
Dumangas Mayor Ronaldo Golez said the development of their port might begin this year. His statement came as President Rodrigo R. Duterte mentioned in his second State of the Nation Address last year that the ports in Iloilo province are among the priority infrastructure programs of his administration.
To date, about 10 roll-on roll-off ships are servicing Dumangas Port. They travel to and from Negros Island and Cebu City, among others.
Port operations are open 24/7 with 32 trips daily servicing about 2,000 passengers. (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
