The Department of Transportation (DOTr) aims to complete at least 49 port projects by 2028 as part of the vision of President Marcos Jr. to modernize the country’s ports, improve connectivity, and uplift the lives of Filipinos especially those in the remote islands.
Atty. Villamor Ventura S. Plan, DOTr undersecretary for maritime, said in a keynote at the 14th Philippine Ports and Logistics Exhibition and Conference, a global biennial event in Manila, that in 2025 alone, a total of 27 local port projects were successfully completed. “Each of these developments strengthens capacity of our ports to support inter island quantity and local economic activity,” he told over 300 delegates from local and global stakeholders.
Plan told LogisticsNews.PH that the 49 new ports also include community and social ports or ports with not much economic activity, but should be developed to provide more connectivity to and from the islands.
On top of that, the DOTR is also pushing for the establishment of cruise terminals to support the growing cruise tourism industry in the country.
In 2023, the Philippines was named Asia’s Best Cruise Destination 2023 at the World Cruise Awards in Dubai, and Best Port of Call of 202″ at the 10th Asia Cruise Awards in Jeju, South Korea, on July 10, 2024.
These recognitions have led the growing global interest in the Philippines as a cruise destination, he said.
Last year saw the inauguration of Jubang Cruise Port, the country’s first dedicated cruise terminal in Siargao with a cost of PHP620.637 million.
Cruise terminals
This milestone signals a new chapter in the Philippine cruise industry, he said.
Plan added that more cruise dedicated ports are being explored across the country, including Palawan, Bohol, Cebu among others, spearheaded by the Philippine Ports Authority in collaboration with the Department of Tourism. Subic Bay Freeport is also planning for a dedicated passenger cruise terminal.
But Plan said that modernization today does not just mean building bigger ports, but also building smarter ones.
Thus, he said, part of the modernization of the country’s ports lies in digital transformation. “We want to find even more ways to harness the power of technology,” he said noting that technology can help ships move more efficiently, ports operate more smoothly and makes destinations more reachable.
Beyond operational efficiency, Plan said the government is also mindful of the brother economic realities affecting the maritime sector, including the impact of the ongoing war in Iran as it has already disrupted oil supply chain and causing further volatility in oil prices globally.
With that, Plan said that DOTr continues to explore measures that would help mitigate its impacts, including subsidies to public utility vehicle operators and drivers.
