Agriculture Business Week

Can the government’s roll-on/roll-off (RO-RO) transport system really answer the efficient movement of agricultural goods all over the Philippine islands?

The opening of SRNH, particularly the western nautical highway, opened up new markets for farmers. In San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, for example, farmers who used to sell their produce (e.g., onions) in Manila reached new markets after the western nautical highway was opened. Fruits from Davao (mangosteen and durian) also found new markets in Iloilo and Bacolod.

This development encouraged farmers to increase their production to take advantage of the opportunities for increasing their income. Interviews with trader-shippers indicate that some of the vegetable shipments to Caticlan and Iloilo originate from Baguio. Similarly, shipments to Manila of fishery products from Estancia, dubbed as the “Alaska of the Philippines”, have also increased from once a week (using traditional shipping) to daily shipments via RO-RO.

The trade pattern creates a triad of zones/areas for inter-trading along the Western SRNH. jThe Manila – Mindoro – Iloilo zone (MM1) in the northern end of the Western SRNH, Zamboanga – Cebu – Negros zone (ZCN) in the Southern end of Western SRNH and the Iloilo – Negros – Cebu zone (INC) in the Central stretch of the Western SRNH.

Enhanced Tourism
The potential of tourism in various areas along the western seaboard is legion. RORO infrastructures have largely boosted the growth of tourism in several areas along the route. For example, Dangay Port in Roxas, Misamis Oriental serves as a springboard to the world-renowned Boracay Islands in Aklan. Domestic and foreign tourists coming from Puerto Galera proceed to this popular beach resort via Dangay Port, and vice-versa. Investors may have seen a lot of promise in the sector as evidenced by a coterie of beach resorts that have mushroomed along the coastline of Roxas.

In the same way, Caticlan serves as a jump-off point to Panay island, and even farther down to Negros Island passing the Iloilo-Bacolod route with greater accessibility and affordability. The Dumaguete-Dapitan link also gives more opportunity to visit Mindanao’s tourism gems (e.g., Rizal’s Shrine, Gloria de Dapitan and Dakak Resort Hotel in Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte).

The impact is reflected in the dramatic surge of tourist arrivals in these areas. From 2003 to 2006, tourism receipts in Boracay Island grew by more than 50%, in Iloilo by 30%, in Bacalod by 15%, and in Dapitan by 200%.

With the completion of the Central Nautical Highway, the Cebu-Bohol-Camiguin tourism loop will surely provide a dramatic boost in these provinces.

Western Nautical Highway
1. Manila
2. Port of Batangas, City of Batangas
3. Port of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro
4. Port of Dangay, Municipality of Roxas
5. Port of Caticlan, Aklan
6. Port of Domangas, Iloilo
7. Bredco Port, Negros Occidental
8. Port of Dumagnete, Negros Oriental
9. Port of Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte

The Western Nautical Highway The Western Nautical Highway bridges Luzon and Mindanao through the major islands of Mindoro, Panay, Guimaras and Negros – with the Port of Batangas serving as Luzon’s gateway to Visayas and Mindanao.
On March 31 to April 1, 2003, President Arroyo led the first RO-RO caravan from Manila to Dapitan, Zamboanga dcl Norte via the Western Nautical Highway – covering a total of 703 kilometers and 137 nautical miles of land and sea travel and passing through 17 provinces and cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

To date, there are 6 bus lines, 51 buses, 153 RO-RO shipping lines and numerous trucking companies plying the Western Nautical Highway. While most of the RO-RO ports and terminals are public-owned, there is it number Of privately developed and operated RORO ports like Bredco in Bacolod and Barcelona Port in Escalante, Negros Oriental. A new RO-RO port is being developed in Dapitan, adjacent to the PPA port, by a private joint-venture company called DIPCI (Dapitan Integrated Port Complex, Inc.). The RORO port development includes cold chain and grains bulk-handling facilities.

Manila to Batangas Port (Land Travel)
From Manila to the Port of Batangas, land travel through the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR Phase 1)2 takes about 2.5 hours for the total stretch of 120 kilometers.

The CALABARZON region 3, which includes the Provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, houses 15 industrial estates and science parks and an export processing zone (Cavite EPZ). The region has attracted leading Japanese car assembly companies (Honda, Toyota and Mitsubishi), wiring harness factory (Yazaki-Torres), glass plant (San Miguel Yamamura) and aluminum factory (Reynolds Phils.) and a number of major oil refineries and depots (PNOC, Phoenix Petroleum, Pilipinas Shell, Caltex). The region is also home to a number of tourist destinations and heritage sites.

Batangas-Calapan RORO link (Sea Travel)
The first RO-RO connection links the islands of Luzon and Mindoro through the Batangas-Calapan route. There are four RO-RO shipping companies providing 24-hour service to this route – Montenegro Shipping, Starlite Ferry, Minolo Shipping Lines and Sta. Cruz Shipping Lines. Total passenger traffic in 2006 reached 1.3 million while vehicle traffic (buses, cars, SUVs, delivery trucks) stood at z40,836.

The Port of Batangas is situated in the City of Batangas. It now serves as a secondary gateway to Manila with the completion of the Batangas International Port in 2005. The domestic area of the Port of Batangas has 3 piers and 7 RO-RO ramps. It boasts of a secured parking area, passenger terminal building and warehouse facilities. Montenegro, Starlite and Baleno are the RO-RO shipping lines operating in the BatangasCalapan route.

Aside from the BatangasCalapan route, the Port of Batangas is also connected to other RO-RO ports in Abra de Ilog, Puerto Galera (Mindoro Occidental) and Odiongan, Romblon.

Calapan to Roxas, Mindoro Oriental (Land Travel)
The island of Mindoro is home to the provinces of Mindoro Occidental and Mindoro Oriental. One of its premier tourist destinations is Puerto Galera. Local and foreign tourists flock to this beach haven almost all year round. For mountaineers, Mt. Halcon is considered to be one of the most challenging heights to conquer. Mindoro is also home to Apo Reef, the second largest contiguous coral reef in the world. Mindoro depends mainly on agriculture. The island produces rice, banana, coconut and fishery products. With the opening of the Roxas-Caticlan route, markets in the Visayas and Mindanao became accessible.

Land travel from Calapan Port to the southern port of Dangay (located in the Municipality of Roxas) takes about 2.5 hours. Total stretch covers 124 kilometers of good road.

to be continued…