FUTURE WHARF. The site of the proposed major port in Babatngon, Leyte identified as the Eastern Visayas transshipment hub. The feasibility study and drafting of the master plan have already started for the project. (Photo courtesy of Oliver Cam)
TACLOBAN CITY – A feasibility study and drafting of a master plan have started for the proposed major port in Babatngon, Leyte, identified as the Eastern Visayas transshipment hub, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) regional office here announced on Tuesday.
In a statement, NEDA said the Babatngon port is one of 10 ports in the country selected by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) for the conduct of feasibility and formulation of master plans.
“The study will determine the long-term directions and evaluate the technical soundness, operational and economic feasibility, and financial viability of the said ports. These ports are expected to significantly promote the country’s desired social and economic development goals,” said Evangeline Paran, NEDA Eastern Visayas regional project monitoring and evaluation division chief economic development specialist.
The study, awarded to Gammacon Builders Inc., an engineering consultancy firm, officially started in July 2023 and is up for completion in May 2024.
The hub is one of the priority projects of the Office of the House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
PPA Eastern Leyte and Samar acting principal engineer Victor Ansel Tingzon said making Babatngon port the region’s transshipment hub will help curb the lingering issue of port congestion.
“We are happy with all the steps that are now being undertaken to make the Babatngon port a reality to help address the said problem and bring about economic progress in the region. We are committed to providing all-out support to the study by making the minefield of information available,” Tingzon said in a separate statement.
The Eastern Visayas Regional Development Council (RDC) has endorsed the feasibility study and formulation of the master plan in 2017.
The Babatngon Port is a complementary project to the proposed second San Juanico Bridge that would link Babatngon town to Sta. Rita, Samar.
Babatngon town is located in the northern part of Leyte and is just 22 kilometers north of this city.
For decades, the town’s port has been eyed by experts as a regional hub considering the difficulty of big ships to reach the regional capital.
Large Tacloban-bound vessels must traverse the narrow San Juanico Strait separating Samar and Leyte Islands to reach Tacloban. (PNA)
