MANILA — The Department of Transportation (DOTr), together with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), will reopen the Manila-Davao shipping route on Sunday.
The revival of the maritime route will provide interconnectivity between Luzon to Mindanao, provide passengers more travel options and ensure affordable prices of goods and commodities with the accessibility of freight containers from Manila to Davao and vice versa.
“Matagal na pong nawala ang Manila-Davao pero sa panahon ni Pangulong Duterte bubuksan po ulit natin ‘yan (The Manila-Davao shipping route has not operated for a long time. It is only under the administration of President Duterte that this will be reopened). Currently, the easiest way to reach Davao from Manila is through flying and some of our people cannot afford that. We want Luzon to be interconnected with Mindanao to likewise increase economic activity,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said in a statement Thursday.
Shipping firm 2GO Group Inc. will launch the operations of its vessel, St. Michael the Archangel, which has a capacity of 1,000 passengers and can take 100 20-foot equivalent units of containers on the day of the inauguration in Davao City.
President Rodrigo Duterte will lead the launch, along with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Tugade, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, Bases Conversion and Development Authority president and CEO Vince Dizon, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Mindanao Development Authority Secretary Datu Abdul Khayr Dangcan Alonto, and Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Z. Duterte. They will be joined by other key officials of the government and the private sector.
The PPA will also launch the new passenger terminal building of the Sasa Wharf at the port of Davao.
The terminal will house modern facilities, such as a pre-departure waiting area, screening areas for passengers and baggage, boarding gates, and clean comfort rooms. (PR)
