PH’s largest passenger terminal in Calapan ready to handle influx of port users

The three-story Passenger Terminal Building in Calapan City is undergoing finishing touches in this photo taken on Monday. The multi-million port project is expected to provide convenience to port users. (Photo by MADONNA T. VIROLA)

CITY OF CALAPAN — The P353-million passenger terminal building (PTB) of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) in this city, touted to be the biggest in the country, is nearly completed and scheduled to start operating in two months, an official said on Monday.

In an interview, Engineer Margarito Dimailig, manager of the engineering services division of PPA’s port management office in Mindoro, said the construction of the modern PTB in Barangay San Antonio was 98 percent complete and would be launched in March.

“Small finishing works are being done, including the commissioning of an escalator and an elevator,” Dimailig said.

He said the Calapan Port is one the busiest in the country and caters to a huge volume of passengers and rolling cargoes due to its nearness to the Strong Republic Nautical Highway in Oriental Mindoro province.

The nautical highway links Luzon with Visayas and Mindanao.

The recent Christmas holiday saw thousands of passengers lining up for their trips to Batangas province and stranded due to the shortage of ships, bad weather, and the PTB construction.

Data from the Port of Calapan showed that the number of passengers on Jan. 3 alone reached 16,086, beyond its capacity of 800.

PPA General Manager Jay Santiago and Transportation Undersecretary Elmer Sarmiento inspected the construction on Jan. 10 to ensure its timely opening before Holy Week, when passengers flock to the ports to spend the holidays in the provinces.

Facilities

Dimailig said construction of the three-story PTB began in March 2021, and designed to accommodate 3,500 passengers at any given time.

He said the PTB, with a floor area of 6,000 square meters, is equipped with a prayer room, a breastfeeding station, a children’s playroom, and a clinic.

Engineer Elvis Medalla, port manager of PPA-PMO Mindoro, said they would give the public “quality service and world-class facilities that they can use while waiting for their trips.”

“Passengers can plan their trips this early and book online,” said Dimailig.

The PTB Calapan project is among the 484 port projects undertaken by the Department of Transportation and the PPA since July 2016.

“The new passenger terminal building is expected to provide great convenience to passengers in Calapan Port by making their trip more pleasant away from long queues experienced in the past holiday seasons,” the PPA said. INQ

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