The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is eyeing to complete a network of Social Tourism seaports and Farm-to-Market seaports all over the country, giving priority to far-flung coastal areas, to boost local tourism, economic productivity and overall growth.

Transportation Undersecretary Elmer Sarmiento highlighted that the agency wants to complete this network up to 2028.

He noted that some 402 seaports were initiated in 2015 and around 250 of these ports have already been completed. They plan to establish 200 more ports up to 2028 to bridge the gap among the country’s islands. The DOTr has already identified the sites for these additional seaports.

Sarmiento emphasized that the project would improve inter-island connectivity and bolster economic opportunities in the remote coastal communities of the country.

These seaports that the DOTr envisions, which the agency refers to as social tourism seaports and farm-to-market seaports, are mostly small ports that would be located in remote and isolated places, Sarmiento explained.

He said that the ports, although limited in capacity, would play a crucial role in stimulating local economies.

These ports will be used to accommodate people moving from island to island and provide a docking facility for fishing boats, and they can also be maximized in times of emergency, as it is difficult to reach some areas frequented by typhoons because they lack transport infrastructure, he elaborated.

For instance, the DOTr plans to construct such seaport in the Turtle Islands, a municipality west of Tawi-Tawi, and in Lawak Island, which is one of the islands in the Spratlys, he added.

DOTr has announced that it expects cargo and passenger volumes to go up by as much as 7.5 percent in 2024, as the world regains its pre-pandemic pace in terms of trade and travel.

“Again, this is about connectivity. We would like to connect these remote places, these remote islands to bigger island economies for their economic growth,” Sarmiento stressed.

He said that it needs at least P12.5 billion to build the 200 additional seaports, with each one requiring between P20 million to P80 million to build.

The transport official said that the DOTr is hoping that funding for these ports would get approval from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as well as lawmakers.

He added that once they get the approval, construction of these ports would begin as early as 2025 and complete the planned network of seaports by 2028.

📷: DOTr Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)