CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro – President Duterte, on Thursday, inspected the construction of the country’s biggest port passenger terminal building (PTB) in this city that can accommodate 3,500 passengers located inside a modern port which is undergoing continuous expansion.

The president was accompanied by Department of Transportation Secretary Art Tugade, PPA General Manager J. Daniel Santiago and other top transportation officials when he entered the port area for the inauguration of seven other seaport development projects in Mindoro Island.

Secretary Tugade said in his speech that the PTB in Calapan will surpass the 3,000 passenger-capacity PTB in Cagayan de Oro City but he stressed that Calapan’s record will be shortlived as he also announced that they will also construct next year a similar building in Zamboanga port which can house 4,000 passengers.

PPA Manager Santiago, in his project briefing before the President and local government officials led by Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito A. Dolor, said the integrated seaport projects will definitely push further the development of both Oriental and Occidental Mindoro which will enjoy state-of-the art port facilities designed to make interisland travel less time-consuming and efficient.

Aside from the two ports, Duterte also inaugurated the ports in Puerto Galera, Bansud, Roxas, Mansalay and Bulalacao.

The eight new projects form part of the 484 port projects completed by the DOTr and PPA since July 2016, according to Tugade.

Duterte and Senator Bong Go also inspected the P130 million youth center project in Barangay Sta. Isabel which was funded by the Office of the President thru the intercession of Go.

The modern youth center, which is expected to be completed in March next year, will have amenities like sports arena, dormitory, training center, worldclass basketball and volleyball courts which can be converted into a concert venue, grand ballroom and IT library.