 Expansion of the Tapal Wharf in Ubay has started.
Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado (Bohol, 2nd District) said the expansion is funded with P60 million inserted into the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) 2015 budget and implemented by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) – its attached agency that focuses on the financing, management and operations of ports throughout the archipelago.
Aumentado said the expansion is expected to allow cargo boats, even ships, to make their deliveries on time instead of staying at anchorage and waiting for their turns to dock and unload.
To note, each day of the cargoes’ stay on board spells a corresponding day of fees for the boat by the suppliers. The solon said the suppliers however just pass on to the consumers this added cost so that the prices of goods skyrocket.
The wharf expansion, he said, will provide Bohol with a bigger gateway of commerce. The approach to Tapal, he explained, is deeper so that it has the potential for development into one even bigger than the Ubay port.
The roll on-roll off ramp at Tapal will also be expanded and extended to accommodate bigger boats instead of only the pump boats and smaller barges that ply the Tapal-Popoo, Tapal-Leyte and Tapal-Mindanao routes. Popoo is in the island town of President Carlos P. Garcia.
The expanded wharf that is able to accommodate bigger boats opens the possibility of a direct Ubay to Manila route for passengers and cargoes, Aumentado said.
The solon said this will complement the expected landing at the Ubay airport of commercial flights as DoTC through the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is developing the same with a P56 million allocation from its 2016 budget.
The infrastructure revs Ubay to be an alternate route for quicker travel to the tourist attractions on the northeastern side of Bohol and make it an alternate port for commercial vessels, he added. (June S. Blanco)