MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) sees an eight percent increase in cargo throughput next year, buoyed by the recovery of consumer demand in the aftermath of the pandemic.
In an interview with reporters, PPA general manager Jay Santiago said cargo volume should go up by at least eight percent in 2023 with international trade picking up pace.
“When we started in 2022, we were also projecting about seven to eight percent growth. I think we breached that and we are looking at close to 10 percent for the year. On the other hand, we expect seven to eight percent growth in cargo throughput for 2023,” he said.
“We are a consumption-based economy and we need to consume. That’s where (cargo growth) would eat up, on importation. We have no choice but to import. There are a lot of products that the people need that are not available locally for whatever reason,” he said.
Santiago said passenger traffic would extend the rebound it started this year to 2023, anticipating an increase of about 20 percent with travel appetite recovering. He said the PPA would complete passenger terminals in the regions to accommodate the rising demand.
“The next terminal that we will inaugurate would be in Calapan, Mindoro, by March at the latest, set to be the biggest passenger terminal building in the Philippines for the meantime,” Santiago said.
“After that, it will be Zamboanga that will be the bigger one. Ultimately, it will be the biggest. We are building mega terminals for sea travel, especially along the nautical highway,” he said.
Based on PPA records, passenger traffic in domestic ports tripled to 15.72 million in the third quarter, from 4.71 million a year ago, signaling the resurgence of travel activities nationwide.
Likewise, the number of travelers carried by roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) ships went up by 59 percent to 2.48 million from 1.56 million. Most of the travelers either originated from or went to the Visayas.
Santiago also disclosed that inquiries are beginning to come in for the return of cruise ships in the country, with the first visit scheduled to come by Palawan in March 2023. Cruise ships were the first to fall when COVID-19 spread across the world, as they found it difficult to unload guests when borders were shut.
“I’m not familiar which cruise ship entity it is, but we are set to receive a cruise visit in Palawan in March of next year,” the PPA chief said.
The PPA expects cargo and passenger activities to reach pre-pandemic levels in 2023 even in the face of recessionary and inflationary risks here and abroad.