[ Manila Bulletin Online ] May 7, 2008
Strong Republic Nautical Highway boosts tourism, trading by leaps and bounds
ROXAS CITY – Several provinces and key cities in the Visayas are now enjoying the benefits of the Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH) project of President Arroyo.
The SRNH, also known as the Roll-On-Roll-Off (RO-RO) system, has benefited not only businessmen in the provinces of Capiz, Aklan, Cebu, Iloilo, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental who bring their goods to Manila, but also ordinary individuals in these provinces whose family and business transactions require them to travel quite often in other parts of the country, the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in Region 6 reported.
From the Visayas, the RO-RO system’s benefits are equally being felt in Mindanao, and provinces in the southern tip of Luzon, showcasing an effective and cost-and-time efficient travel system in the archipelago.
According to Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio R. Bunye, the RO-RO system, particularly the Western Nautical Highway, has reduced freight and passenger cost of fresh fish from Capiz to Manila by 31 percent.
Bunye added that a 46 percent decrease was also noted on the freight and passenger cost of electronics from Manila to Cebu; motorcycle from Manila to Dumaguete City by 47 percent; and passengers from Batangas to Calapan by 32 percent.
The tourism industry has directly benefited as well from the WNH, Bunye said, adding that "compared to 2003 (when the WNH was inaugurated), tourists bound for Boracay grew more than 50 percent; Iloilo by 30 percent, Bacolod by 15 percent, and Dapitan by 200 percent."
Bunye added that said system has also slashed the travel time from Mindanao to Luzon by 12 hours, from the 36 hours to only 24 hours,"
The RO-RO system is a series of inter-connected roads and ports that link the Philippines’ three main islands – Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao -- via three major routes: the Western Nautical Highway (WNH), the Central Nautical Highway (CNH), and the Eastern Nautical Highway (ENH).
The Western Nautical Highway is composed of the ports of Batangas City, Calapan City, and Roxas City in Oriental Mindoro; Caticlan, Aklan; Iloilo City, Bacolod City, Dumaguete City, and Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte, Bunye said.
Bunye stressed that the RO-RO system has not only reduced the cost of moving goods but also increased regional trade, enhanced tourism and agricultural productivity, growth in investments and development of the countryside.
Most especially, too, Bunye said it is providing added income opportunities that result in poverty reduction.
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