The Subic Container Port offers an alternative solution to ease the traffic congestion in Metro Manila, according to House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.
Pushing for the modernization of the Subic port, Alvarez, who is also the secretary-general of President Rodrigo Duterte’s political party PDP-Laban, said the use of the port must be optimized to clear the traffic jams that have led to productivity losses of at least P2.4 million a day in Metro Manila.
Alvarez said expanding the volume of the Subic international seaport is a “good idea” that will benefit not just Metro Manila but will spur economic growth in Central and Northern Luzon as well.
SCP has a capacity of 600,000 containers, but as of last year, the volume it received was only around 123,000.
This means the port can easily absorb northbound cargoes, as shown by a study made by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Jica said there is also cost advantage ranging from $100 to $200 per container for shippers from Pampanga and Zambales to ship through Subic instead of passing through Manila ports.
The study showed there is a capacity shortage of 14 million containers for the Pacific Region, with Singapore already reaching its limit and Hong Kong remaining severely silted.
For his part, former House Speaker and now Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said developing Subic port to its fullest was “a great idea.”
Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas, vice chairman of the House committee on appropriations, added that the proposal will translate to more economic activities in Subic and in neighboring areas.
“This means more jobs and more opportunities. These can hopefully translate to social development to that part of the country,” he said.
“This plan, coupled with increased infrastructure spending particularly on interconnecting roads, alternative highways like C6 and bridges across the island of Luzon will definitely solve a lot of urban management, environmental and economic issues,” Vargas added.
SCP is a significant component of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development (SCAD) strategy, which includes the construction of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTex), and the Clark International Airport to form a global logistics hub and international gateway for Central Luzon.
Earlier, experts also noted existing road networks leading to and from Manila North Harbor can no longer accommodate the high volume of cargoes, resulting to a perennial traffic congestion in the areas.
The Metro Manila Development Authority has identified seven choke points along Edsa and the roads leading to Manila North Harbor, namely the Circumferential Road-3 (C-3 Road), A. Mabini Street, Dagat-Dagatan Avenue, North Bay Boulevard and Radial Road 10 (R-10), as among the priority traffic-prone areas where emergency powers for Duterte will be needed the most.
Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III said goods and commodities intended for Central and Northern Luzon no longer need to pass through Metro Manila if Subic’s operations are optimized.
Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said prioritizing the Subic port modernization project in the government’s menu of solutions to the traffic woes in Metro Manila will also spur economic growth across Central and North Luzon.