• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The municipal government of Manapla is eyeing P10 million in annual revenue when the Manapla Port and Stevedoring Arastre starts operations at the privately owned port in the town, Mayor Manuel Escalante III disclosed on Saturday.
That is on top of the livelihood opportunities it will provide to Manapla residents, Escalante said in a press briefing, which was attended by the MPSA officials who invested in the operation of the port.
We have been waiting many years for this to be realized, the mayor said, stressing that it has been a dream for Manaplahanons to have a port.
Dave Sarrosa, who is among the investors of the Manapla Port, announced that its shipping partner, Lite Ferries Shipping Company, will definitely start operating the Manapla-Ajuy-Manapla route on June 28.
Escalante said that MPSA has secured permits for the operation of the port.
Sarrosa said their rates, which they will announce within the week, will be cheaper compared to port charges in Bacolod ports.
He said they will accommodate two vessels in the initial phase of operations, with one round trip every six hours.
Sarrosa added that they will add another vessel within the next two months to accommodate the cargo logistic market, as well as passengers.
Travel time from Manapla to Ajuy, or vice versa, is one hour and 30 minutes.
MPSA said its port in Barangay Punta Salong, Manapla, Negros Occidental, is the final link to complete the new nautical route from Manapla, Negros Occidental to Panay, via the Ajuy PPA Port.
Lite Ferries Shipping Company will also open another route soon, from Manapla Port to Concepcion Port in Panay, MPSA said.
These routes are faster, better than other sea vessel routes, very advantageous to passengers, and offers more cargo space, it added.
MPSA is designed as an inclusive development with facilities built for the end-user and managed by the community. It aims to provide not just livelihood but overall human development.
The opening of new routes to Panay by the MPSA is also expected to further boost the tourism industry and economy of the provinces of Negros Occidental and Iloilo.*
