Poor services of fastcraft scored

THE Regional Development Council 7 (RDC-7) has requested the Maritime Industry Authority to strictly implement the quality standards of high speed ferries that operate in the region.

A May 23 resolution of the RDC Economic Development Committee (RDC-EDC) noted the “dismal and degraded” services of some fast ferries.

The resolution said that many of these sea vessels have “poor air-conditioning, delayed trips, unannounced cancellations and longer-than-scheduled travel time.”

This problem, the RDC-EDC said, “creates discomfort and unpleasant travelling experience for passengers and tourists, threatening the sustained success of tourism promotion efforts of the country and of Central Visayas.”

The RDC sent the resolution to Engr. Nigel Paul Villarete, chairman of the Regional Management Committee of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) in Central Visayas.

The RDC committee also asked the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), which is under the DOTC, “to strongly implement quality standards of sea fastcrafts in the region.”

The RDC committee will tackle this issue again on June 11, with the Marina present.

Villarete, in an interview, said that they want to ensure the good and appropriate services to the passengers from the point of origin to the point of destination.

“We must pamper them and give them decent service required from us,” Villarete said.

Aside from calling the attention of the DOTC, the RDC 7 is also creating a technical working group to study the state of passenger terminals in the region. /Correspondent Christine Emily L. Pantaleon