The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Thursday that it will implement an e-ticketing system at Batangas Port, the largest port in the country.

In an ambush interview, DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon announced that the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) will soon implement an e-ticketing system at the port to prevent passengers from queuing and waiting too long.

"Magkakaroon ng maraming kiosks, napakaganda nito lalo na para sa mga pasahero natin... Maraming magagawa yan, unang-una convenience para sa mga pasahero, hindi na kailangang pumila (There will be many kiosks, it's will be very nice especially for our passengers... It can provide convenience for passengers as they won't need to queue)," Dizon said during his inspection at Batangas Port.

"Minsan kasi hindi pa bukas yung mga ticketing booths at hindi pa nagbebenta ng tickets at itong mga kababayan natin gusto maaga... So pag dito, maiiwan sila sa labas kasi sarado pa yung ticketing booths, pero with e-ticketing, dire-diretso na sila (Sometimes the ticketing booths are not yet open and tickets are not yet sold so others would have to wait outside while the booths are still closed. But with e-ticketing, they can go straight inside)," Dizon added.

The DOTr official also noted that the e-ticketing system will prevent transactions with fixers, or those individuals who unofficially transact with passengers for a fee, bypassing legitimate procedures or regulations.

Further, Dizon said the e-ticketing system will also prevent overloading, as they could easily check the capacity of the ships.

"Ngayon kasi manual pa pero pag may e-ticketing, mamo-monitor na ng [Maritime Industry Authority], PPA, at [Philippine] Coast Guard kung sumobra na ang benta ng tickets," Dizon said.

Dizon said the new system will be rolled out for the Christmas rush.

According to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), about 1.73 million travelers are expected to flock to public transport nationwide this coming Holy Week.

The said numbers are 3.5 percent higher compared to the 1.67 million passengers logged by PPA ports last year.

"Kahit ito na ang pinakamalaki, dapat ready na tayong mag-expand. Kasi alam niyo naman lumalaki na nang lumalaki ang populasyon natin ang mga kababayan natin mas madalas gustong bumiyahe (Even though this is the biggest, we must be ready to expand. Because you know, as our population grows, more Filipinos would want to travel more often)," Dizon added.

Batangas Port typically caters to around 20,000 to 25,000 passengers daily during peak season.