THE inauguration of the P1.3-billion Batangas Port Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) manifested the administration’s genuine concern to the current infrastructure building efforts under the Build Better More program, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Friday.
“Today’s activity is not only a reaffirmation of the importance of this Port of Batangas, but it’s also a vote of confidence in the promising and positive future of the entire CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, and Bicol regions,” President Marcos said during the opening of the PTB, considered as the biggest, busiest, and most modern port facility in the Philippines.
“Hindi lang ito halimbawa ng Build Better More na programa ng inyong pamahalaan sa inyong rehiyon. Ito ay patunay ng pagmamalasakit natin sa mga gawaing imprastraktura para sa buong bansa,” he said.
Recognizing the port’s multiple strategic roles, the President said government economic planners underscored its continuous expansion as a way of supporting the country’s economic growth.
Maximizing the port of Batangas helps in decongesting the Manila ports, causing
the dispersal of economic activities to places more than capable of hosting entrepreneurial
and industrial boom, President Marcos said.
“Of its many uses, nothing surpasses its success in connecting people, from distant islands and diverse cultures, bringing them together in fruitful and enjoyable interaction that strengthens the national bond and the unity of Filipinos,” he said.
Among the project’s aims are to provide a better terminal for the public, boost tourism, and improve travel experience to and from Batangas province.
Under the regulatory supervision of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), the PTB has increased capacity 8,000 seated passengers from 2,500 (220-percent increase), making it the largest PTB among the PPA-administered ports.
It now has an annual passenger capacity of 12.8 million from the previous four million and an expanded land area of 6,000 to 15,000 square meters.
The project implementation generated more than 1,100 jobs and is expected to further generate around 1,800 jobs through the commercial establishments in the PTB.
The facility is operated and managed by the ATI and its subsidiary ATI Batangas Inc.
