Sual’s dream for an international seaport remains
WHERE is the international seaport promised by the national government to the people of Sual town?
This is the question uppermost in the mind of Sual Mayor Roberto Arcinue daily since the Aquino government had a ground-breaking ceremony in 2012 with officials of the Philippine Ports Authority on hand.
In an exclusive PUNCH interview with Arcinue, he recalled that after all the publicity about the Aquino government’s plan for an international seaport, all that the national government could show was a three-meter deep port that only small fishing boats could use.
The Sual government still wanting to keep the momentum, decided years later, funded and constructed a P100 million, 6.5-meter deep municipal port and a causeway in the Poblacion area in a bid to accommodate bigger boats.
The initiative is still far from the original dream so the municipal government has decided to appeal to the Duterte administration to consider restoring the plan to construct and develop an international seaport in the town.
As originally estimated, an international seaport in Sual will cost P5 – P11 billion to reach the 18-meter deep standard for international seaports, a project that’s possible for the local government alone to pursue.
And for the municipal seaport to be connected to the international seaport, it will require an additional of 300 meters to reach it.
An international seaport in Sual will be closest to Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea, Arcinue adding that it will also help decongest of container trucks in Metro Manila.
Arcinue said Sual was already included in the map of Philippine Economic Zone in 1995 as reflected in Republic Act 7916 but to this day, no national government project was brought to the town except the Sual Coal-Fired Power Plant constructed by a private foreign investor 1996. Since the plant became operational, Sual became a first class municipality, from a fifth class municipality.
The dream of Sual for an international seaport fits well in the plan of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority for the international airport and seaport in Luzon. And this will also open opportunities for local employment and business opportunities in the countryside, Arcinue said.
Aside from an international seaport, Arcinue already requested President Duterte during his visit last year in Sual for the construction of a fish processing plant that will be viable to support the the aquaculture industry of the town.
According to BFAR Regional Director Nestor Domenden, Sual is a top producing town of bangus with 60 tons daily produce or 50 million pieces a year from the 750 fishcages in the mariculture area. (Nora Dominguez)
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