Starting Jan. 1 next year, passengers will have to shell out additional cash for the terminal fee at the Batangas Port after the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) approved the increase, citing the need to maintain the significant improvements made.
The terminal fee at the Batangas Port is currently at P30 and it will increase to P60 by Jan. 1, and to P90 by July also this year.
PPA General Jay Daniel Santiago explained that the increase is reasonable due to the significant rehabilitation at the Batangas Port in the past years that resulted in increased passenger capacity and improved amenities.
“The last adjustment (terminal fee) was in 2010, that was 15 years ago and as we can see the difference between the terminal facilities that the passengers are paying in 2010 and the facilities now in 2025,” said Santiago during his inspection at the Batangas Port in Batangas City on Monday, Dec. 22.
“So the PPA Board deemed the adjustment justifiable due to the investment made here at the Batangas terminal. There is no doubt that the Batangas terminal is the most modern, the largest and the best in terms of amenities among the ports in the country,” he stressed.
President Marcos led the launching of the newly- renovated Batangas Passenger Terminal Building in Batangas City in April last year.
Asian Terminals, the operator of the Batangas Port, sought an increase from P30 to P100 but what the PPA Board approved was from P30 to P90.
"What the PPA Board approved is the staggered increase, the first increase is P30 starting January 1 and another P30 increase on July 1,” said Santiago.
“This serves as a compromise between recognition of the investment of our terminal operator and the capacity of the passengers passing the Batangas Port to pay more for the terminal fee,” he added.
Based on the petition, the terminal fee increase is intended to generate more funds for the operation and maintenance of the Batangas Port.
Santiago said the same decision also specified that any petition for terminal fee increase must be done at least three years after the last increase.
And he also emphasized that a thorough review of the Batangas Port facilities must be done first before any increase is approved after three years, “What we want to ensure is that there must be improvements first in the facilities if time comes that they seek for another terminal fee increase.”
“If there would be no improvements, then we would not allow them to adjust the terminal fee,” Santiago said.
The Batangas Port is one of the busiest ports in the country and the recent improvements resulted in the increase of capacity of the Passenger Terminal from 2,500 to 8,000 daily.
The first tranche of the increase is expected to affect the returning passengers from the New Year revelry.