Ship firm offers free shipment of rice for feeding program

CEBU, Philippines — A shipping firm has offered the Capitol free transport of rice allocation for its school feeding program intended for all public school students of Bantayan Island.

In a meeting last Friday, Alex Tan, the CEO of Island Shipping Corporation, told Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia that the shipping firm will not be charging the three local government units of the island whenever they bring in their rice allocation from the Capitol for the said school feeding program.

“Para man na sa mga bata, ato na’ng suportaran para sa mga kabataan didto sa isla. We have been there for more than 30 years. At least makasuportar ta kay libre man na gipakaon sa mga bata,” Tan told Sugbo News, the Capitol’s news arm.

During the said meeting, Garcia assured Tan that operations at the Santa Fe Port in Bantayan Island will remain unhampered despite the impending corrective construction works to be carried out by the Capitol at the port.

“As far as operations are concerned, dili ni hilabtan,” Garcia told Tan. Island Shipping plies the Santa Fe, Bantayan Island–Hagnaya, San Remigio sea route.

Earlier, the Cebu Port Authority Commission approved the Capitol’s request to undertake massive work on the port in order to address the uneven distribution of sand in Sta Fe town, which is known worldwide for its white-sand beaches.

Accordingly, the current port is a rock causeway which impedes the free flow of sand and water that causes the sand imbalance.

The Capitol, with an initial budget of P500 million, will be building an entirely on-pile structure adjacent to the existing port and will demolish the existing structure once the new one is completed.

This ensures that day-to-day operations at the port, such as the movement of passengers and cargo to and from the island will continue as usual.

Garcia told Tan that the Capitol, which shall also operate the new port with the concurrence of the CPAC, envisions to make Santa Fe Port “cruise ship-ready.” — (FREEMAN)