PORT DEVELOPMENT. Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan (left) and Department of Transportation Undersecretary for Maritime Elmer Sarmiento signing a memorandum of agreement in this Jan. 4, 2024 photo. Ports in Northern Samar province got an allocation of PHP75 million for its expansion this year, improving access to island towns from the mainland. (Photo courtesy of DOTr)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has allocated PHP75 million for the expansion of three ports in Northern Samar province for this year, aimed at improving access to island towns from the mainland.
The fund under the 2023 appropriations will finance the expansion of ports in the towns of Allen, Mapanas, and San Jose in Northern Samar, the provincial government announced on Friday.
Each port has an allocation of PHP25 million.
"This is a big thing for our economic development since barges, commercial vessels carrying supplies for our infrastructure projects will pass through here. In these areas, we also concentrate on copra buying and copra supplying going to Quezon province," said Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan in a statement.
The provincial government issued the statement following Jan. 4 meeting among DOTr officials, Governor Ongchuan, Vice Governor Clarence Dato, and Mapanas town Mayor Ronn Michael Tejano.
DOTr Undersecretary for Maritime Elmer Sarmiento and Ongchuan also signed a memorandum of agreement at the DOTr main office on the same day.
Tejano, meanwhile, has reiterated his request to DOTr for the construction of Pambujan Domestic Airport in Pambujan town and the rehabilitation and improvement of the Lighthouse in Batag Island, Laoang, Northern Samar. The department has yet to respond to the request of the local executive. (PNA)
