To ease traffic in the metropolis particularly in southern Metro Manila, an efficient river ferry that will take commuters to population centers like Cavite should be established, an opposition leader in the House of Representatives said on Monday.
“If we can extend our elevated trains to convey passengers to as far as Cavite, surely we can also expand the ferry service so that it can move people to as far as the country’s most populous province,” Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr., deputy minority leader, said.
“If we can extend our elevated trains to convey passengers to as far as Cavite, surely we can also expand the ferry service so that it can move people to as far as the country’s most populous province,” Campos added.
He was referring to the ongoing P1.3-billion, 11.7-kilometer Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Cavite Extension Project, which is meant to move 410,000 passengers every day between Parañaque City and Bacoor City.
“One of the biggest advantages of using our waterways to transfer people and goods is that we do not have to deal with costly right-of-way issues that also tend to delay project execution,” Campos said.
“We are all set to use barges in hauling containerized cargo between Manila and Cavite over Manila Bay. We might as well also deploy commuter boats to swing people between the two points through the bay,” Campos said.
Last month, in a bid to fight worsening road congestion, Malacañang decided to establish a new Pasig River ferry service that is projected to move some 76,000 commuters every day.
The water bus system, targeted for soft-launch in December, would involve two dozen 50-seater air-conditioned boats moving through 29 terminals in 15-minute intervals.
Meanwhile, the country’s first container roll-on roll-off barge terminal in Tanza, Cavite is set for completion next month.
The Cavite Gateway Terminal (CGT) will displace 140,000 truck trips on city roads every year.
The facility is a joint project of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI).
ICTSI runs the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) in the Port of Manila.