The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) have formally inaugurated the Port of Claveria in Cagayan three months after the project was completed.
Started in 2017 and completed in October 2019, the Claveria port project was formally inaugurated on February 3, 2020. The port development aims to help address the need for an efficient network in the province that integrates land, sea, and air transport systems, DOTr and PPA said in a joint statement.
Among the works carried out on the port were the construction of the reinforced concrete platform to serve as additional backup area, additional roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) ramp to handle increasing cargo traffic, restoration of the causeway, and road repair going to and from the seaport.
DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said Claveria port is one of the many seaport projects being undertaken by the administration to continuously improve connectivity and mobility not just for people, but also for goods and commodities across the country.
For his part, PPA general manager Atty. Jay Daniel Santiago noted the need to construct the seaport to establish economic linkages in the Cagayan Valley region, which is highly in need of connectivity.
“Nakita kasi natin na kulang na kulang ang connectivity natin sa northern Philippines. Ang pinakamalapit na PPA port sa northern Philippines na nag-co-connect sa Batanes ay dito sa Cagayan. Dislocated din ang Calayan Group of Islands so kinakailangan talagang magkaroon tayo ng mga pantalan dito para magkaroon ng accessibility doon sa mga northern islands natin [We saw how northern Philippines is sadly lacking in connectivity. The nearest PPA port in northern Philippines connecting to Batanes is here in Cagayan. Calayan Group of Islands is also disconnected so there really is a need for ports here to provide accessibility to our northern islands.],” Santiago said.
Apart from Claveria port, Tugade also pledged to finish other projects for the municipality, including the Pata Lighthouse, and to establish a regional office for the Land Transportation Office and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board for ease of doing transactions by the locals.
Photo from the Department of Transportation
