A proposed ordinance seeking the creation of an e-ticketing system for all ports in Bohol hurdled the first reading at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) on Tuesday.

If passed as an ordinance, the measure will require the integration of all payments prior to boarding a vessel including terminal fee, seat number, and baggage check-in fee, said Provincial Board Member Tomas Abapo who authored the proposed ordinance.

According to Abapo, the measure will eradicate the cumbersome ticketing procedures in Bohol ports which require passengers to repeatedly fall in line.

 “As of now, if anybody would go to Cebu or elsewhere, you have to fall in line to buy the passenger ticket, and then you have to go to another area to secure your terminal fee and after which you would have to go another queue if you have luggage and then another queue for the seat number,” said Abapo.

The legislator added that the measure will not only be imposed on the Tagbilaran City Tourist Port but also in all other ports of the province.

The measure was crafted in response to the Regional Development Council (RDC) 7’s call for local government units to pass ordinances requiring shipping companies to adopt electronic ticketing and cashless transactions.

Melanie Ng, chair of the RDC-Economic Development Committee, reported to the Council during a meeting at the Capitol last week that Dumaguete City has already passed an ordinance mandating all shipping companies operating in the Dumaguete City Port to adopt e-ticketing.

The shipping companies were re given until December 2023 to complete the transition to online transactions. (AD)