Cabinet Sec. Leoncio Evasco, Jr. bared that President Duterte’s administration vowed to institute upgrading of the Maribojoc Wharf to a container port with P500 million funding.
Sec. Evasco, together with Department of Transportation Sec. Tugadi last Tuesday said the upgrading of the Maribojoc wharf was already approved by the Philippine Ports Authority. From the new Bohol Panglao International Airport, the team was supposed to inspect the Maribojoc wharf. However, the detailed plan was already presented during a brief meeting in Panglao.
PPA Port Manager James Gantalao who was present during the meeting said top management already approved the project which he expects to commence work next year.
The construction of a container port in Maribojoc is imperative since Tagbilaran City port is already congested with other vessels.
The project is set to be bidded out in the coming days, he said.
As soon as the project starts, residents at the port will be relocated in an area already allocated for them.
He said that there’ll be no problem for their transfer to the relocation site since this has already been agreed upon by town officials and the affected families.
It was learned that this port was heavily damaged in the aftermath of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that shook Bohol on October 15, 2013.
Authorities earlier declared that the port area is considered a “no-build zone” after the earthquake, he said.
He said that the National Housing Authority, which is under his office, is slated to provide housing assistance for the affected families.
He said that included in the project is the construction of four-lane paved road access to the port.
He said he already contacted Sec. Mark Villar of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for this concern. (rvo)