BORACAY – A modern jetty port will usher in more business and employment opportunities to this island resort, according to a transport company proposing to develop it.
The Mabuhay Maritime Express Transport, Inc. wants to develop the jetty port at the Cagban beach for an estimated P180 million.
Mabuhay officials presented to the Sangguniang Bayan of Malay, Aklan on Tuesday the port’s design and benefits, and the pricing and schedule approved by the Maritime Industry Authority.
A developed port will increase local employment, raise government revenue and taxes, increase land value, and generate business opportunities for Aklan, said Mabuhay manager Sherwin Tan.
NEW ROUTE
Mabuhay, which is engaged in interisland sea transport for tourism using the Catamaran ferries, plans to operate a new mode of transport for tourists with two brand-new Mabuhay Maritime Express ferries for a direct route between Kalibo and this island resort.
Mabuhay said it will target tourists from China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea, and the Middle East in promoting Boracay as a premier destination.
Specifically the company will encourage Philippine Airlines passengers by offering them a round-trip boat fee of only P1,500 exclusive of terminal and environmental fees, said Tan. Mabuhay and PAL are sister companies.
Passengers arriving at the Kalibo International Airport will be transported to the port in Barangay Pook, Kalibo – a 2.5-kilometer drive via a circumferential road.
The Pook port is approximately 70 km from the Cagban jetty port.
The one-way trip on board a state-of-the-art Catamaran ferry from the Pook port to the Cagban port will be an estimated 1.5 hours with a cruising speed of 50 km per hour.
Mabuhay said each of its ferries has regular, premium and first-class cabins with 22 crew members to assist 410 passengers.
The company must get an endorsement from the Sangguniang Bayan first before it can proceed with the project, municipal councilor Floribar Bautista stressed.
“We will comply with the regulations of [the local government of] Malay [and] Kalibo,” said Tan. “We will not take over the Cagban port but only lease a portion of it for the passengers’ waiting area and ticketing office.” (Aklan Forum Journal/PN)
