Expedition tour A cannon fires a salute from the Swedish East India Man ship as she leaves Goteborg, bound for an expedition tour in the Baltic Sea, on Friday. During the summer the ship will visit several ports around the Baltic Sea, such as Stockholm, Helsinki and Tallinn. --AP

THE PHILIPPINE Ports Authority (PPA) has transferred the management and operation of Caticlan port to the provincial government of Aklan in a move that will allow local units to have more participation in port-related activities.

The move came six months after local government authorities of Aklan visited regulators PPA and the Maritime Industry Authority to decentralize the port in favor of the provincial government.

The Port of Caticlan is one of the main gateways to Boracay Island, the country’s top tourist destination.

The port was constructed in 2002 upon the orders of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to place the facility under the Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH), a series of port infrastructure meant to link the country’s main islands. Back then, Caticlan was the “missing link” between Roxas and Oriental Mindoro.

PPA documents show that the state firm initially spent some P9.7 million to upgrade the existing facilities and provide the necessary ramps for roll-on/roll-off facilities.

“One year after the implementation of the SRNH [in 2003], the port of Caticlan has demonstrated a dramatic increase in the volume of traffic,” PPA said.

In 2004 the PPA then included the port in its locally funded project portfolio and spent P82.71 million to further expand the port that included reclamation works and additional facilities.

PPA general manager Oscar Sevilla earlier said they placed a provision against rate increases in a move to protect the public.

One of the main jobs of the state firm, which also doubles as the regulator of all its assets and other private ports, is to develop ports and then have it privatized or to be operated by local government units.

Sevilla said most port facilities, especially those connected to the SRNH, are up for privatization.

In October last year, the PPA devolved the operations of Dipolog port, a fishing and interisland terminal, to the local government unit. Sevilla said officials of Dipolog have requested for control of the port as they want to manage the development of the area.

Local officials, in general, want a degree of control over port facilities as they could use these to develop their area as jump-off points to get votes when election comes, some PPA officials said.

PPA policy dictates that local government units give the PPA a 10-percent management fee out of total port revenues.

PPA decentralizes Caticlan port

THE PHILIPPINE Ports Authority (PPA) has transferred the management and operation of Caticlan port to the provincial government of Aklan in a move that will allow local units to have more participation in port-related activities.

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