Amid the persistent problems of congestion at the Port of Matnog in Sorsogon, three government agencies have joined forces to finally resolve the recurring issues especially by commuters and businessmen heading to Southern Samar.
In a statement, the maritime sector of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), namely the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have enumerated their respective action plans to address the problems.
The PPA’s task is to work immediately on completing all the necessary repairs within the facilities that were damaged by typhoon Odette at the Port of Matnog in order to encourage additional frequency of vessel calls from existing, and other vessel operators looking to service the route.
MARINA shall strictly enforce an on-time turnaround of trips for vessels plying the route for better scheduling and predictability while the PCG shall take over the management of queuing of vehicles leading towards the Port of Matboig.
With these measures, the DOTr hopes to solve the problem of congestion that have been causing headache on travelers, cargo owners, and other port users at this major maritime highway, which connects Luzon to the rest of Visaya and Mindanao.
“Rest assured that the PPA, MARINA, and the PCG shall remain committed and steadfast in keeping the country’s maritime travel safe, secured and convenient,” the statement read.