President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday ordered the creation of a Maritime Industry Development Plan to develop and broaden the country’s maritime sector and directed the Department of Transportation to rehabilitate the country’s ports.
This was as the President and his Cabinet met to discuss the administration’s plans to develop and upgrade the maritime and aviation industries.
In a Facebook post, the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said the improvement of the two sectors topped the agenda of the 11th Cabinet meeting convened by Mr. Marcos at Malacañang Palace on Tuesday morning.
The President “ordered the crafting of a maritime industry development plan to improve the maritime sector,” Press Secretary officer-in-charge Cheloy Garafil said in a briefing.
Mr. Marcos also emphasized the need to upgrade the country’s ports to accommodate more cruise ships and boost the tourism industry.
Garafil said the President directed the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to address the challenges to the quality of maritime education and training in the country.
She said MARINA was told to go after schools that are not complying with educational quality standards, based on international requirements and guidelines.
“(The President) also wants the issue on ship boarding requirements of maritime students to be addressed),” Garafil said.
“The President said the schools’ competency and training programs must be improved to build the students’ advantage and put them to international standards to maintain the country’s state as number one supplier of seafarers worldwide,” she added.
Meanwhile, Mr. Marcos also ordered the DOTr to upgrade the Manila airport to accommodate more flights and passengers, Garafil said.
“The transportation sector is one of the President’s priority sectors, that’s why he asked the DOTr to present their programs for maritime and aviation sector to ensure our economic recovery and create more jobs for our fellow countrymen,” she said.
On Oct. 6, Mr. Marcos said his administration is serious about pursuing big-ticket infrastructure projects to sustain the country’s economic growth despite the COVID-19 pandemic and global challenges.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, during the Economic Journalists’ Association of the Philippines Forum on Monday, said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is fast-tracking the completion of key projects in the aviation, maritime sectors, railway, and road sectors to generate more economic activities in the country.
The DOTr, Bautista said, is also building more airports and seaports and modernizing existing ones to address air and maritime connectivity needs.
The department is targeting the completion of P1 trillion worth of airport projects by 2023.
The projects include the construction and rehabilitation of Antique Airport, Bacolod-Silay Airport, Catbalogan Airport, Davao International Airport, M’lang Airport, Ozamiz Airport, San Vicente Airport, Sanga-Sanga Airport in Tawi-Tawi, Tacloban Airport, and Tuguegarao Airport.
The airports in Bacolod, Bicol, Bohol, Busuanga, Davao, Iloilo, Kalibo, Laguindingan, Puerto Princesa, and Siargao will also be upgraded, expanded, and operated under the public-private partnership scheme.
Four new regional airports will also be built in Dumaguete, Masbate, Siargao, and Zamboanga.
Bautista said the DOTr will also tap the Pasig River Ferry System as alternative transportation for commuters.
The Maritime Safety Enhancement Project, which aims to modernize and reinforce the Philippine Coast Guard, will also continue to ensure the country’s maritime safety and security, he added.
