From the outside, the Philippine Ports Authority's (PPA) newly renovated training facility looks like a swanky rest house.
A statement from the PPA Monday, Aug. 16 bared that the facility, located in Sam Fernando, La Union, "will house the majority of its executive and management planning sessions and other capacity-building initiatives to reduce cost."
It will also provide the agency "a proper venue that will house the required continuous training of its port police force to maintain their tip-top shape to carry out their sworn duties and functions."
The PPA said an estimated P10 million was spent in modernizing the training center, which now boasts of a swimming pool, guest rooms, and a multi-purpose function room. Due to the increased guest capacity, an upgraded electrical system was likewise installed.
PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago explained that the rehabilitation and refurbishment of its training facility was primarily done to reduce the expenses incurred during management meetings and planning sessions as well as other seminars required for PPA employees.
“Annually, PPA is spending a significant amount of its budget in paying for rental fees on venues for organizational events, conferences, and planning sessions, among others. With this improved training facility, it will provide the agency further financial flexibility as most training, events, conferences, and the like requiring offsite venues can now be held in the agency-owned training facility,” Santiago said.
“Wellness seminars and other team-building sessions of PPA employees can also be held in this facility free-of-charge instead of renting other appropriate venues,” he noted.
“At the same time, it is also a source of income from rental fees as it will be made available to local government units, other government agencies, and the private sector within the region for their events,” Santiago said.
The improvement of the PPA training center in was accelerated after the authority converted its Manila Gender and Development facility into a molecular testing laboratory to help in the government’s fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.