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ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 5 February) – The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has allocated P13 million to construct a new passenger terminal at the local wharf.
Port Manager Liberto dela Rosa said the construction of the new terminal is set to start this month or in March and it is targeted to be completed before the end of the year.
Dela Rosa said the new terminal, once completed, will serve passengers bound to and from Sandakan, Sabah, and Manila.
Dela Rosa said the 2Go shipping firm is set to resume its Zamboanga-Manila and vice-versa route next month.
The firm had stopped operations of its Zamboanga-Manila route last year after its vessel plying the route sank, according to Dela Rosa.
A locally-based shipping firm plies the Zamboanga-Sandakan route and vice-versa twice a week.
Once the new terminal is completed, Dela Rosa said the existing two passenger terminals will be exclusively used by passengers bound for the nearby provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga Sibugay.
He said there is a need to have a separate passenger terminal for Sandakan since this is a foreign trip which requires inspection from the Bureau of Immigration.
The port of Zamboanga is one of the busiest ports in the country. It serves an average of 3,000 incoming and outgoing passengers daily.