ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Visayas devider Negros Occidental town eyes P10-M revenue from MPSA

Negros Occidental town eyes P10-M revenue from MPSA

Published Jun 16, 2025 02:03 pm
MANAPLA, Negros Occidental – This municipality is looking at earning P10 million in annual revenue from the Manapla Port Stevedoring and Arrastre (MPSA) in Barangay Punta Salong that officially starts operations by June 28.
MAYOR Manuel Escalante III (center), Dave Sarrosa (left), one of the investors; Carlito Jimena (second from left), president of the Manapla Port Stevedoring and Arrastre (MPSA), and representatives from community organizations in a press briefing at the port in Barangay Punta Salong, Manapla, Negros Occidental on Saturday, June 14. (Glazyl Masculino)
MAYOR Manuel Escalante III (center), Dave Sarrosa (left), one of the investors; Carlito Jimena (second from left), president of the Manapla Port Stevedoring and Arrastre (MPSA), and representatives from community organizations in a press briefing at the port in Barangay Punta Salong, Manapla, Negros Occidental on Saturday, June 14. (Glazyl Masculino)
Mayor Manuel Escalante III said this is on top of the livelihood opportunities for residents, marking a milestone in the town’s development.
In a press briefing on Saturday, June 14 at the port, Escalante emphasized that the project is a result of a private sector investment, with no government funds spent.
“We didn’t invest money from the local government. We have nothing to lose, only progress, development, and prosperity to gain, Escalante said in Hiligaynon.
Escalante said the MPSA has secured permits for port operations.
“We truly wanted to have our own port. We believe this will speed up development. We’re excited and optimistic,” he said.
MPSA shipping partner Lite Ferries Shipping Co. will serve the route from Manapla Port to Ajuy Port in Iloilo, a final link completing a new nautical highway between Negros Occidental and Panay Island.
Dave Sarrosa, one of the investors, said the new port will serve as an open-access facility, initially operating with Lite Ferries Shipping Co., which will run one round-trip every six hours.
A second vessel is expected to be added within two months, eventually scaling to a trip every three hours.
“This is a shorter, more efficient route,” Sarrosa said, adding that they are planning to expand to accommodate cargo and logistics needs.
Port charges will be 20 to 25 percent cheaper than those at Bacolod Port, Sarrosa said, adding that their shipping partner offers competitive rates and lower logistics costs. He said they will announce the rates within the week.
The MPSA spans three hectares, with a plan to expand an additional 15 hectares for warehousing and logistics.
Community organizations are also mobilizing to make the most of the opportunity.
Arlene Astrologo from the farmers and farm workers association said that this port is a big help for vendors and their members as they will be given a chance to manage canteens selling delicacies and native products.
Jerry Beduya of Bantay Kasag Fisherfolk Group thanked the opportunity to participate in the development. He said that they are tasked to maintain the cleanliness at the port, which enables them to earn aside from their fishing livelihood.
The teachers’ cooperative was also thankful for the opportunity given to them to be able to manage a canteen and invest in a business.
“This is a long-held dream of Manapla residents and now it’s real. We’re truly grateful,” one cooperative member said.

Related Tags

Manapla Port Stevedoring and Arrastre MPSA Manapla Negros Occidental
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.