The Department of Transportation said Wednesday it will construct shipbuilding and roll-on roll-off facilities in Batangas province before the end of the Duterte administration.
“We are in favor of building a shipbuilding facility here, and we are working with the Development Bank of the Philippines for the financing of the project,” Transportation Secretary Art Tugade said during the inauguration of the upgraded and rehabilitated Port of Talaga in Mabini, Batangas.
Tugade said the shipbuilding facility would generate more jobs and boost the local economy of Batangas.
He said the agency would start building a RORO facility at the Port of Talaga by August or September this year.
“We expect the RORO facility to be completed in a period of six months from August or September,” Tugade said. The facility will benefit the passengers and improve the domestic trade in Batangas, he said.
Tugade, along with Philippine Ports Authority general manager Jay Santiago, inaugurated the rehabilitated and upgraded Port of Talaga in Mabini, Batangas.
Among the completed rehabilitation works at the port are the construction of a back-up area, the construction of a port operations building and the installation of a lighting system.
Additional employment is also expected to be generated with the opening of more business and tourism opportunities with the port’s start of operations.
The Talaga Port is one of 14 completed social tourism and commercial projects in Batangas. Ongoing are improvement works at Subukin Port in San Juan.