Transport nightmare looms over Guimaras

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

 

The province of Guimaras is facing a major transportation problem with the looming expiration of Certificates of Public Convenience (CPC) of 47 wooden-hulled pump boats that ferry passengers to and from the island to Iloilo City.

Guimaras Governor Samuel Gumarin said the CPCs of the traditional pump boats will expire on Dec 31, 2020 and these might not be extended if the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) pushes through with the modernization program of interisland sea vessels like passenger pump boats.

MARINA-6 Regional Director Jose Venancio Vero confirmed with Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo that 30 wooden-hulled motor bancas serve the Buenavista-Iloilo City line while 17 others are on the Jordan-Iloilo City line.

Vero said four fiber glass-hulled boats and one steel-hulled boat are now serving the Iloilo City-Guimaras (vice versa) line.

Two of the fiberglass boats and the steel-hulled vessels are on the Buenavista-Iloilo City line while the tow other fiber glass boats are on the Jordan-Iloilo City route.

Vero said the deployment of modern and stronger hulled vessels are part of the DOTr’s modernization program for sea transportation.

“The old wooden boats will only be used for tourism purposes, not for general transportation,” he added.

But Gumarin said the five modern boats will not be enough to cater to thousands of passengers that travel between Guimaras and Iloilo City.

Citing their surveys, Gumarin said 20,000 to 25,000 Guimaras residents travel every day via pump boats. More than 12,000 are from Jordan while Buenavista accounts for 8,000 to 10,000 passengers daily.

“The five modern vessels are not enough to ferry the thousands of passengers every day,” he added.

The governor said trade and employment in Guimaras might be affected by the modernization program as some boatmen stand to lose their job and the limited capacities of the modern boats will not suffice to bring goods to the island-province.

MARINA-6 director Vero said they have yet to receive fresh instructions from the DOTr if the validity of the CPCs of Guimaras motorboats will be extended after December 2020.

Vero said lack of extension would mean that wooden-hulled boats cannot operate by January 2021.

The non-renewal of the CPCs of old boats is part of the “phasing-out program” of MARINA in its intent to modernize interisland travel.