The first ever cruise terminal in the Philippines is now under construction and is expected to open in October this year, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) disclosed on Tuesday, April 4.
PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago said the project, which is located in Barangay Jubang in Dapa, Siargao, is now 72 percent complete and will be named Siargao Cruise Terminal once it start its operation in October.
The construction of the Siargao Cruise Terminal is part of the continuous coordination between the PPA and the Department of Tourism in promoting local tourism which is one of the focuses of the national government as a way of rebounding from the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We recognize the importance and potential of cruise tourism. There is really a tourism development plan by the DOT, and the PPA has been tapped and we have been in coordination with DOT even during the last administration," said Santiago during past interviews.
Siargao is one of the most popular tourism spots in the country and is dubbed as the surfing capital of the Philippines.
Aside from the cruise terminal, Santiago said the Jubang Cargo Terminal in Siargao is now also 60 percent complete and is expected to be completed by February next year.
More cruise terminals
Earlier, Santiago disclosed that the port operations in Cabugao, Ilocos Sur were expanded in coordination with the local government unit (LGU) after it received a lot of cruise ship calls before the pandemic. The same is true with the Currimao Port in Ilocos Norte.
Santiago added that there is also an ongoing cruise terminal project in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan which is being handled by another government agency focusing on tourism development.
"In Boracay, we are in talks with the provincial government of Aklan for PPA to build a terminal that is solely dedicated for cruise operations. Not in Caticlan, but it will be somewhere else to really accommodate cruise ships," he revealed.