Philippine Ports Authority General Manager Jay Santiago said any increase in passenger terminal fee in Batangas port will consider the capacity of the riding public and the cost to improve the terminal by its operator Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI), which petitioned for a 233 percent terminal fee hike to PHP100 from the current PHP30.
“The PPA will thoroughly study the application of ATI to raise the terminal fee in the Batangas port,” Santiago assured in a statement.
Likewise, the PPA chief cited the improvements made by ATI at the Batangas port, which has been expanded and modernized to accommodate 8,000 passengers and fully equipped with amenities to ensure passenger comfort and safety.
“Although we understand that ATI also needs to recover its expenses for the improvement of the Batangas Port, the increase in terminal fees must also be balanced with the passengers’ capacity to pay and must ensure that it does not become a burden on the pockets of our commuters at the Batangas Port,” said Santiago.
Based on its petition, ATI Batangas said this is the first time that they seek an increase since 2010. The increase will cover the higher operations and maintenance cost, utilities, labor cost, security and safety, and continuous investment in the modern facility.
The port is widely used by students, small entrepreneurs, farmers and fisherfolk going to the main Luzon island and back to the island provinces.
ATI, which has invested PHP1.5 billion to improve the Batangas port, has not increased its passenger terminal fee since 2010. Comparatively, other terminals charge higher fees, including Manila North with P104.50, Boracay Port P150 and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport domestic P200, which is set to increase to P390 by September.
Most modern
ATI noted that the Batangas Passenger Terminal (BPT) is regarded as the biggest, busiest and most modern inter-island transport infrastructure in the Philippines and national benchmark for passenger terminal operations complete with world-class facilities and amenities with passenger safety, comfort, and convenience in mind.
From 1,700 seated passengers, capacity has been increased by nearly 400 percent.
to over 8,000 seated passengers at any one time. It is fully air-conditioned facility, mall-like structure with high ceiling, comparable if not even better than modern airport terminal facilities. The terminal became fully operational in April 2024.
In compliance to security standards, passthrough scanners and baggage x-ray machines, operated by highly trained staff, are installed throughout the facility.
Ticketing offices of shipping lines are all inside BPT for safer, secure, and convenient transactions for passengers, free from the shifting weather conditions and from exploits of travel fixers and unauthorized fee collectors outside the terminal.
BPT’s modernization was undertaken as part of ATI Batangas Inc.’s contractual obligations with the PPA, following directives from government to elevate service delivery in the facility to world-class standards, and in response to public demand for better, safer, and more convenient services and infrastructure as a passenger and tourism hub.
More than a year since the modernization was delivered, it’s only now that ATI Batangas is petitioning for a new passenger terminal fee for the Batangas port, it added.
