Photo by. ringstide.ph The national government earmarked P2 billion to revive the Pasig River ferry system and help address the traffic congestion in Metro Manila, a lawmaker said yesterday.

According to Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr., the new ferry system will use smaller boats moving through more stations at a faster pace.

“The new funding will be spent to build 17 new stations along the 25-kilometer river in the cities of Manila, Mandaluyong, Makati, Taguig, Pasig and Marikina,” Campos said. He added that the P2 billion funding for the project is already incorporated in the proposed P3.757 billion General Appropriations Act for 2019.

He said the new stations will be on top of the 12 previously built under the defunct ferry system. The new ferry service is designed to transfer some 76,000 commuters every day on water buses – 24 air-conditioned boats with 50 seats each moving through 29 terminals in 15-minute intervals.

The previous ferry system used bigger boats with 150 seats. The long time it took for the boats to fill with passengers caused delays and the decline in ridership resulted to the collapse of the ferry system.

Campos said the new Pasig River Ferry Convergence Program is assured of funding since it is being carried out by 10 agencies led by the Department of Budget and Management.

Meanwhile, Campos said another P328 million was allotted to help the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission renew the river to its historically pristine condition conducive to transport, recreation and tourism.