A new year worth arriving for

A new year worth arriving for | Daily Tribune

So… how’s everyone doing with their New Year’s resolutions?

Studies show that around 50 percent of people quit their New Year’s resolutions by the second week of January. Only nine percent stick with them until the end of the year. Still waking up early? Still choosing salad over sisig? Still saying “this is my year” with full conviction? I bet you are! Keep it up! It is a good sign that you are choosing yourself over everything. #SelfLove #MeBeforeYou

The good news is the New Year doesn’t really stop welcoming us just because we slip a little. This year isn’t about perfection anyway; let’s be okay with being consistent. After all, it is about opening new doors to new hobbies, new environments, and new people. Who knows, maybe to new journeys as well.

I tell you, if there’s anything that embodies the art of opening doors, it must be the ports. From peak season to regular days, they are simply ready. Rain or shine, holiday or not, New Year’s or regular Thursday, with its employees and port operations ready for the passengers.

Remember that in 2025, sea freight held a more than 50-percent share of the Philippines’ total freight forwarding market. For the domestic trade volume, sea transport accounted for roughly 51 percent to 52 percent of the goods moved within the country. This is because the Philippines is an archipelago of over 7,000 islands, and sea transport is the backbone for moving goods between provinces. Just like movement is the key to survival in the animal kingdom.

As 2026 opens its arms, ports across the country are doing exactly what they do best — welcoming movement, change, and possibilities.

Take the Puerto Princesa Port. Last 13 January, the city warmly welcomed the return of the cruise ship MV Costa Serena from Brunei with nearly 3,000 passengers and over 1,000 crew members. A full orchestra of cultures stepping onto Philippine shores.

With music from the Puerto Princesa City Band, energetic performances by school drum and lyre corps, and local dance groups showcasing Filipino artistry, it wasn’t just a port call, it was a historical welcome back. The kind that says, “We missed you. Come in.”

And this isn’t a one-time thing. Puerto Princesa alone is expecting 21 cruise ship visits in 2026, including six maiden voyages.

Meanwhile, in Bohol, ports are preparing for a very different kind of arrival. But this one is not the dance type of welcome — it’s the serious kind of welcome. This one’s all about discipline, coordination, and readiness. As part of the country’s preparations for the ASEAN Summit 2026, the Port Management Office efficiently handled the arrival of Philippine Navy transport and support vessels in Tagbilaran and Tubigon.

Ships like the BRP Bacolod and the BRP Manobo docked with priority, not for leisure, but for security, stability, and regional preparedness. Because while ports welcome tourists with smiles, they also stand guard when the stakes are higher. That’s the dual role ports play — hospitality on one hand, national readiness on the other.

And here’s where things get even more exciting. Cruise tourism is officially back!

In 2024, the Philippine Ports Authority recorded a 61.9-percent increase in cruise passenger arrivals, reaching 142,574 passengers, up from just over 88,000 the previous year. That’s the highest post-pandemic figure so far. And 2025? Even better, nearly a 30-percent increase.

To keep up, the PPA is continuously building. Dedicated cruise terminals are underway in Coron, Aklan, and Camiguin, with a new cruise port in Puerto Galera in the pipeline. The Jubang Port Cruise Ship Terminal in Dapa, Surigao del Norte is already finished.

As Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) general manager Jay Santiago aptly said, cruise terminals serve as bridges between international cultures and the Filipino brand of service and warm hospitality. And when passengers arrive, local communities benefit from the drivers, guides, small businesses, artists, and vendors.

Thinking for the future is always being one step ahead, and the PPA does just that! Growth doesn’t stay at the port; it spreads within the area and the community.

So whether you’re still chasing resolutions or already rewriting them, take comfort in this: the doors are now open. Travel is more convenient via the ports, whether for personal, professional, national, or tourism purposes.

Welcome and all aboard for we are all in the same 2026 boat, hoya!