19 new roro routes; Marina promotes PH-designed RoRo

19 new roro routes
Choy Gallarde - June 22, 2019 https://negroschronicle.com/19-new-roro-routes/

Out of the present 140 roro vessel routes nationwide, there are 19 new roro ports operational shortly that links the entire Philippine Nautical Highway a pet project of former President and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

As a result of the conduct of oversight hearings partly held in Dumaguete on transportation spearheaded by Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a total 19 new routes of the Roll On Roll Off were added to the Roro System.

Speaker Arroyo last Monday visited the Sibulan sea port crossing via roro vessel from Liloan, Cebu Monday on her final sentimental journey as Speaker. She visited three of the Roro ports built during her time as President in Sibulan Negros Orieintal, southern Cebu namely Taloot port in Argao and Liloan port in Santander.

She then crossed to Dumaguete City on board a Roro vessel using the Liloan to Sibulan port in Dumaguete on board the Matiao Shipping barge managed by Dante Matiao. In the late afternoonn she flew back to Manila on board a special plane.

She said she is happy that the Roro project has been revived by the present adminstration and that she is extremely delighted and honored to have helped in lowering the cost of goods, boosting tourism and facilitating travel around the country through the Roro System which she established when she was President in 2003.

There are currently 140 Roro routes all over the country servicing millions of passengers and cargo handlers.

She also went to Cebu and Dumaguete to personally thank them for the support during her entire political career.

‘Since I’m ending my term as Speaker, I’d like to give a little recollection about the times when you helped me so much in my political career. When I ran the first time for senator in 1992, we were 24 seats up for election. I was number 13, in the middle. But here in Cebu, even if it’s the first time I ran, I was number seven. So I thank you very much for that. Of course, I’ve always kept coming to Cebu. Si Serge (Remonde) ang station manager sa DYLA. Ug kanunay ga-interview siya kanako kanunay sa Cebuano. And that’s why I think after that dili na number seven ang akong rating diri. Number one sa senador, landslide sa vice president, ug landslide sa president nitong 2004,” she said.

“So I’m really, really very grateful to the people of Cebu and Negros Oriental . And so I decided that in one of my last trips before I end my term as Speaker, I will be here to say thank you so much for all your support,” she ended.

In a briefing before Speaker Arroyo in Argao, Cebu Monday, Director Marc Pascua of the MARINA said that as a result of her initiatives as Speaker arising from the House’s oversight functions, a total of 19 new missionary Roro routes were established in different parts of the country this year.

Four of the 19 are already operational while 15 are just waiting for the arrival of the vessels that will service the routes. It was also revealed that nine more new missionary routes will be offered based on the recommendation of the shipping Industry.

Speaker Arroyo had made use of the Lower House’s oversight functions to determine if laws and existing projects are properly implemented. The 19 new ports were presented during the Oversight hearings by the Marina. Speaker Arroyo pushed for the implementation of the new routes.

Marina promotes PH-designed RoRo
GENIVI FACTAO June 12, 2019 https://www.manilatimes.net/marina-promotes-ph-designed-roro/568029/

The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has encouraged local shipbuilders to manufacture Filipino designed Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) ships to meet the demands of the domestic shipping industry.

Marina Officer in Charge Vice Adm. Narciso Vingson Jr. said Marina sees the necessity to market more the capabilities of the Philippines to manufacture ships. He added that the country had an ideal location and competent manpower for shipbuilding.

Vingson said they already had the prototype ships of Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corp. and Starlite Ferries.

“Starlite’s ship is a Filipino-designed ship, but it was built in Japan, while Archipelago’s ship was built in China,” he explained.

He said their ships were designed locally, but were built abroad because of the lack of raw materials here. He added that shipbuilding is a capital-intensive business.

“Our shipyards can do it. But the problem is, we don’t have steel, and it’s too expensive to import. It will take time to develop our own steel industry,” he said.

“Before, we have incentivized importations. Now, we incentivize the local shipbuilding industry, because one of our priority programs is the modernization of domestic shipbuilding,” he added.

Vingson expected a booming business for the shipyard operators in the country.

“The money now is in shipbuilding, and not anymore in ship repair,” Vingson said.