Hello, folks! It's Thirstday again!

We had a long weekend courtesy of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections and the Undas holiday. This offered an opportunity for people to go home to their provinces to vote and visit the graves of their departed loved ones and, yes, to have a respite and breathe fresh air both literally and figuratively.

People utilized our seaports with renewed enthusiasm and we congratulate the employees of the Philippine Ports Authority, or PPA, led by GM Jay Santiago for the sterling performance of their duty to serve travelers. All PPA personnel leaves were canceled to prioritize service to travelers and it paid off.

We also thank the soldiers, policemen and other uniformed personnel, teachers and the Comelec for a successful and safe election and Undas.

Going back to the long weekend, we have breached the 2-million barrier. Yes, folks! Capital W-O-W, pronounced two million! This was the number of passengers who traveled utilizing our seaports. We are going back to pre-pandemic levels and this is helpful to our economy.  This is also a good indicator of the growing trust of the people in our seaports, its facilities, and the hardworking people of the PPA.

To give you a concrete idea, let us look at the numbers.

The PPA projected a passenger turnout of 1,422,406 from 27 October to 5 November this year based on the previous passenger records of 1,337,396 in 2022; 683,349 in 2021, and 511,058 in 2020.

Now in the same period this year, from 27 October to 5 November, PPA logged 1,944,365 passengers, and two days after by 7 November, a total of 2,007,717 passengers was registered!

We are expecting to breach more numbers in the coming months and years as our seaports are now being renovated with vigor and new ones were recently constructed.

Also, the PPA and the whole country rejoiced with the recent bagging of the top honor of being the best cruise destination! Yes! Another barrier breached, ladies and gentlemen!

In another barrier-breaching accomplishment, the PPA recorded a 23.18 percent increase in net income, with expenses down by -3.23 percent in the first half of 2023. The PPA showed a net income of P6.19 billion in the first half of 2023, higher by 7.85 percent against target, and a 23.18 percent or P1.16 billion increase compared to the P5.02 billion net income for the same period in 2022.

Comparative revenue figures show that all revenue groupings showed improvement in terms of Service and Business Income at 13.94 percent  or a P630.21 million increase;  and Regulatory Income at 8.04 percent or a P393.58 million increase. Overall, PPA's total revenue as of the end of June 2023 grew by 10.83 percent or a P1.02 billion increase amounting to P10.46 billion compared to P9.44 billion total revenue generated in the same period last year.

Total PPA expenses recorded a 3.23 percent decrease or P142.52 million compared to the total expenditures incurred during the same period last year. Cash expenses also recorded a decrease of 24.63 percent or P657.26 million due to lower recorded expenditures in admin costs and financial expenses this year.

Breaching every barrier is paramount if we are to advance the economic viability of the shipping and maritime industry coupled with the appropriate safety and care of travelers. We can only achieve this by uniting our efforts and paddling together as we sail towards the bright horizon.

Yes, you guessed right, we are still in the same boat!