Government allocates P176 million for Pasig ferry system

MANILA, Philippines — The government has allocated P176 million in the 2020 General Appropriations Act to expedite the development of the Pasig River ferry system, which is being pushed as an alternative mode of transportation amid worsening traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

Sen. Sonny Angara, who chairs the Senate finance committee, said the P176 million budget was lodged in the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to make the Pasig River ferry system more viable as a mode of transport.

It will be used for the purchase of four 50-seater air-conditioned ferry boats to supplement the current fleet being operated by the MMDA.

There are presently nine passenger boats in the MMDA inventory, but only two are operating daily.

“There seems to be no end in sight for traffic in Metro Manila. We were given a brief respite after Christmas Day last year, but now traffic is back with a vengeance. Motorists and commuters alike have to suffer being stuck in traffic for one to four hours or more, depending on where you are from and where you are going to,” Angara said.

Apart from the purchase of more ferry boats, the funding will also be used by the MMDA to improve accessibility to stations.

Angara said purchasing new boats is not enough because the commuting public must be provided with easy access to the ferry stations if they are to be enticed to use this mode of transport.

Schedules should also be set and not depend on “availability,” according to one river commuter who lamented being misinformed by the MMDA hotline about limited ferry services the day before the Feast of the Black Nazarene on Jan. 9.

Bicol airport opens

Meanwhile, after a long delay, the P4.8-billion Bicol International Airport (BIA) in Daraga, Albay will finally open this year, coinciding with the construction kickoff of the P175-billion Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Haul that stretches from Calamba City in Laguna to Matnog in Sorsogon.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, the House ways and means committee chair who had worked on the two vital projects for years, said both are deemed keys to socio-economic development and are set to unlock the tourism potential of Southern Luzon, hailed as the country’s “Most Scenic Gateway.” – With Delon Porcalla