CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Vice Mayor Jocelyn “Bebot” Rodriguez on Wednesday refiled a proposed ordinance seeking to establish a ferry service along the Cagayan de Oro River, reviving a measure she first introduced in 2023 during the 20th City Council.

The proposed “Cagayan de Oro River Ferry Services” ordinance seeks to establish a ferry route connecting Barangays Consolacion and Carmen.

The measure aims to provide Kagay-anons with an alternative, efficient and sustainable mode of transportation while improving connectivity among key residential, commercial, educational and heritage areas.

The proposal is anchored on a multimodal transportation approach that would integrate water-based transit with the city’s existing land transportation network to help ease traffic congestion and improve mobility.

It also provides a framework covering infrastructure, ferry operations, vessel maintenance, passenger safety, fare systems and coordination with relevant stakeholders.

Beyond transportation, the proposed ordinance recognizes the Cagayan de Oro River as an important part of the city’s history, culture and identity and seeks to give the waterway a renewed role in the city’s development.

Rodriguez expressed hope that the proposed ferry service would contribute to Cagayan de Oro’s sustainable urban development and growth as a metropolis while preserving the river’s significance to the city.