President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said that Batangas Port's newly constructed passenger terminal building (PTB) serves as "a port of national significance" as it would help decongest the port in Manila. 

During the inauguration of the Batangas PTB, Marcos said the P1.3-billion terminal would serve as a gateway to farming powerhouses, island tourist paradises, and a hub for trade and other goods.

“True enough, maximizing the port of Batangas helps in decongesting our Manila ports, causing the dispersal of economic activities to places more than capable of housing entrepreneurial and industrial boom,” Marcos said.

“Of its many uses, nothing surpasses its success in connecting people, from distant islands and diverse cultures, bringing them together in fruitful and enjoyable interaction that strengthens the national bond and the unity of Filipinos,” he added.

Marcos said that the updated terminal building can now hold 8,000 people, five times as many as it could before.

He said that this raises the number of people who can use the Batangas Port each year from 4 million to 12.8 million.

He also said that the passenger center building has prayer rooms, all-gender bathrooms, features that make it easy for people with disabilities to use, and a car storage facility with multiple levels that can hold 13,000 vehicles.

“Today’s activity not only–is a reaffirmation of the importance of this Port of Batangas, but as a vote of confidence in the promising and positive future of the entire (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, at Palawan), and Bicol regions,” the chief executive said.

“This is not just an example of the Build Better More program of your government in your region. This is proof of our concern for infrastructure projects for the entire country," he also said in Filipino.

Marcos also commended the Philippine Ports Authority and the Department of Transportation for successfully completing the upgrade project and fulfilling the government's promise to the people.

The Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) at Batangas Port, managed by the PPA and operated by ATI, was the most contemporary among the ports.

It served as a hub connecting mainland Luzon to the MIMAROPA region, as well as to Iloilo, Negros, Cebu, and Mindanao, utilizing fast crafts, ferries, and roll-on ships.

“Batangas Port is one of the busiest terminals, where during peak seasons, we accommodate up to 22,000 passengers in a single day. The limited space of the terminal has always been a concern in the past. That’s why expanded it from 2,500 passenger capacity to 8,000 passenger capacity at the Batangas passenger terminal building. This is now our largest terminal,” PPA General Manager Jay Santiago said during the program.