State-run Philippine Ports Authority said Wednesday it plans to upgrade the Malalag port in Davao del Sur to meet international standards after it took over the management and operations of the port terminal.
The PPA and the local government of Malalag formalized the transfer through a memorandum of agreement signed by mayor Peter Paul Valentin and PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago in June.
Santiago said the local government unit of Malalag in Davao del Sur yielded the operations of the port to the PPA to give the terminal the much-needed facelift. The port remained underdeveloped since it was devolved to the LGU in May 2000.
“With PPA now at the helm, much bigger infrastructure development for the terminal is in the offing to spur economic growth not only in Malalag but play a vital role in the economic boom in the province of Davao del Sur,” Santiago said.
“The mayor already agreed to the proposed development of Malalag port, which will start at the end of this year, with an initial cost of P500 million,” he said.