THE Cebu Port Authority (CPA) has soft-launched the new passenger terminal on Pier 1 at the Port of Cebu, a new addition to the maritime hub’s facilities.
Dubbed as Terminal 1, the building has a gross floor area of 2,688 square meters and houses a fully air-conditioned pre-departure area with rows of four-seater gang chairs for outbound passengers traveling to the neighboring ports of Calbayog, Dapitan, Dumaguete, Tagbilaran, Tubigon, Getafe, Bacolod, Larena, Maasin, Ozamiz, Palompon and Surigao.
The terminal boasts of a spacious lobby that houses the Pier 1 management office and a send-off area where outbound passengers can collect their terminal fee stubs from a designated booth and buy last-minute food and hygiene needs from a canteen before proceeding to the pre-departure area.
CPA said Terminal 1 is also equipped with wi-fi internet connection and gender-sensitive facilities that are among the first of their kind in the history of seaport passenger terminals in the region, if not the country.
The pre-departure area has a play area for toddlers, a breastfeeding station for nursing mothers, a fully functional first aid station and a prayer room.
In the next few days, concessionaire booths, food stands and a cafeteria will also open at the pre-departure area to cater to the needs of passengers waiting to board their vessels.
The grand opening and inauguration of Terminal 1 is slated to happen in the next few weeks. The CPA said Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya and Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III would be invited to grace the ribbon-cutting ceremony.––Roumina M. Pablo
