The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) recently conducted a national ports summit to get recommendations from stakeholders and port managers for the first 25-year roadmap it is crafting for the country’s port system.
PPA assistant general manager for operations Hector Miole told PortCalls on the sidelines of the summit that PPA “has not done a long-term planning for some time,” and this is the first time it is involving stakeholders in planning.
Miole said they are involving stakeholders in roadmap development so “our plans will be responsive and it will meet their needs.”
The roadmap, he noted, will be flexible and will undergo periodic review to incorporate changes or updates. The roadmap will be submitted to PPA’s mother agency, Department of Transportation, for approval.
Along with the long-term plan, the port agency is also crafting a five-year plan of doable and short-term measures. The three PPA clusters—Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao—have already presented their proposed five-year and 25-year plans for their regions.
Among the proposals are plans for cruise shipping, industrial ports/zoning management, long-term infrastructure development, climate change resilience, inter-connectivity, and supply chain development.
According to Miole, PPA is also following the four “S” characteristics of “ports of the future,” which are speed, smart, sustainable, and size. The four “S” was first presented by shipping and transport expert Olaf Merk of think-tank International Transport Forum-Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Miole said it is important that ports are made “future-proof” and adaptable to the needs of the shipping industry.
Size is a consideration for ports of the future because as ships get bigger, “ports have to correspond to meet shipping needs,” Miole said. Ports, he added, must also be smart, automated, and “no longer dependent on manual processes.”
With climate and typhoons hitting the country most months annually, Miole said that “we need to ensure that ports are able to adapt” and “we have to increase our standards because sea level rise is upon us.”
Ports, Miole added, “will need to be increasingly sensitive to the climate” and must “adopt green technology to protect the environment.”
He noted that it is better to invest in the upgrading of ports now than spend more in rehabilitating them after natural disasters.
Asked if PPA is considering proposals and plans that might affect the agency’s structure, Miole said, “It’s part of our annual regular exercise to scan the environment.”
Currently, the private sector proposes to separate the development and regulatory functions of PPA. There is also a pending bill in the Lower House proposing to consolidate all maritime agencies involved into one department.
Miole said that while they acknowledge these proposals, he said PPA’s planning is currently based on its presumption that its current structure will remain for the next 25 years.
“But assuming that change will come, I hope those changes will be for the betterment of the port industry and the ports in the future,” he added. – Roumina Pablo
Image courtesy of jk1991 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
