The Manila Times

Marcos: Pier 88 ‘a boon for Philippines’

CATHERINE S. VALENTE

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday led the grand launching of Pier 88, Cebu’s first “Smart Port” in Liloan, Cebu, expressing confidence that it would be “a boon not only for Cebu but also for the rest of the country.”

In his speech, the President said Pier 88, which offers a faster transport alternative for passengers and cargo, holds promise to become a local economic hub, which will “immensely serve the interests of the people of Liloan and beyond.”

He lauded the efforts not only of Liloan but also of Cebu province — through the collaborative efforts of the Metropolitan Cebu Development and Coordinating Board — to have good urban planning and development practices.

“The vision of a ‘Mega Cebu’ by 2050 is already in place. This is actively being pursued, as we speak. As an island province with several cities and municipalities, Cebu stands to greatly benefit from systematic and integrated planning,” Marcos said.

“Such kind of strategic planning will serve to further solidify its urban development foundation and consolidate its socioeconomic strength. It will be a boon not only for Cebu but also for the rest of the country,” he added.

The President then reiterated the urgency of enacting a National Land Use Policy for the country, which he said is a priority legislative agenda of his administration.

“I have had the opportunity to work on this matter when I chaired the Senate Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement Committee some years ago. It never materialized for reasons beyond our control. The pandemic is also included in that circumstance,” Marcos said.

“This time, we will see to it that this measure shall be given [the] urgent attention it deserves, cognizant of its fundamental importance to our holistic national development,” he added.

Through a national physical framework plan, Marcos said that all mandates and policies on land use shall be integrated — from watersheds to farmlands, from cultural heritage sites to ancestral domains and protected disasterprone areas.

“Local governments must ensure that their respective physical and land-use plans shall conform to and shall be consistent with the national plan. Hence, the wholeof-government approach,” he said.

Moreover, the President said that the national and local governments will tap the budding profession of environmental planners for its technical expertise in crafting accurate and well-aligned physical and land-use plans.

“I thank the House of Representatives for its timely and significant action in having approved their version of the bill on third reading just a few days ago. It is terribly important. I have been following this from the time when I was governor to the time that I was congressman until the time I was senator, and I continue to do so now as President,” he said.

“I exhort the local government of Liloan, the whole of Cebu, to continue generating these kinds of high-impact projects and give us once again examples of best practices. May your examples be a source of inspiration and ideas for others to emulate,” he added.

The President also thanked the government’s private-sector partners whose ideas and investments have led to the completion of this port and mixed-use development project, Pier 88 Ventures Inc., and Topline Group of Companies.

“Rest assured, my administration will continue to encourage and nurture this dynamic collaboration between highly capacitated LGUs and the private sector,” he said.

The major project, which is funded by a Public-Private Partnership arrangement, is a joint venture by the local government of Liloan and Topline Group of Companies in partnership with

Pier 88 Ventures Inc.

As a smart port, it will integrate digital technology into its operations by using QR codes and a radio frequency identification-ready system to be integrated in a mobile application, providing passengers convenience while traveling.

The port facilities and services of Pier 88 will also include the following: ramps for berthing, mooring dolphins, pedestrian bollards, pier ridge and deck, truck weighing scale, storage, cargo handling, trucking, arrastre, porterate, stevedoring, leisure and island hopping terminal, shuttle and banking services.

A couple of brand-new Topline Seabus passenger vessels equipped with state-of-the-art engines will also serve the route from Liloan to Cebu City and Liloan to LapuLapu City, and vice versa.

The Topline Seabus passenger vessel can accommodate 150 passengers and will serve commuters from Bohol, Camotes Islands, Leyte and Metro Cebu.

Aside from providing another means of transportation, Pier 88 Port will also serve as an economic catalyst not only for Liloan but also for the neighboring municipality of Compostela, the City of Danao and the rest of northern Cebu.

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2023-05-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-05-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://manilatimes.pressreader.com/article/281569475103208

The Manila Times