‘Congresswoman’ Beng praises Duterte legacy

MAYOR BENG Climaco, who is running as congresswoman in District 1 in next year’s polls, nearly broke into tears while repeatedly thanking President Rodrigo Duterte for various infrastructure projects he poured to Zamboanga since 2016.

Duterte was recently here to inaugurate several completed projects, among them the Port of Zamboanga which has the biggest passenger terminal. He was accompanied by Senator Bong Go and was briefed by Secretary Arthur Tugade, of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), at the port.

The president looked at photographs of completed and current projects of the DOTr before proceeding to a hall where government officials led by Mayor Beng Climaco were waiting.

Climaco, who welcomed the president, was the first to speak and she thanked Duterte for all infrastructure projects the national government poured not only in Zamboanga, but other parts of the Western Mindanao region. 

 “Kining pasilidad daku kaayu ug katabang sa Zamboanga City ug ZAMBASULTA kay ania diri ang dagkung kumpanya sa sardinas,” Climaco told Duterte during her emotional speech. 

The mayor, the current chairperson of the Regional Development Council and Regional Peace and Order Council, also asked Duterte to retain or add more security forces in Zamboanga following the 2013 siege by Moro National Liberation Front members loyal to Nur Misuari. The siege lasted several weeks and displaced nearly 300,000 people. 

Tugade said with the completed works, the Port of Zamboanga can now accommodate 3,500 passengers at any given time and even surpass the passenger capacity of the Port of Cagayan de Oro City in northern Mindanao. “Development projects at the port include the establishment of an inclusive prayer room, food court, and elevators,” he said. 

He said the Port of Zamboanga developments are envisioned not only to enhance and address maritime mobility and connectivity in the province, and nearby areas but to serve as a catalyst for socio-economic, tourism, and livelihood opportunities in the entire Mindanao region. 

Build, Build, Build

The port project is part of the Build,Build,Build initiative of the Duterte administration, seven months before the president ends his term.

The Zamboanga seaport development projects, which involve several aspects, expansion of the back-up area, the extension of pier, and the provision of the port lighting system, among others, are aimed at facilitating the growing trade in the Zamboanga Peninsula, particularly sardine exports to the mainland US, Europe, and the Far East.

Port General Manager Jay Santiago said these projects will play a vital role particularly for the economy of Zamboanga which is still recovering from the aftereffects of the MNLF and aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic. “We recognize the specific needs of all regions that is why the DOTr and PPA try to balance and distribute the projects all over the country. With the port, being the gateway port for the entire Zamboanga Peninsula and predominantly of the country’s sardine export receipts, these seaport projects will ensure access to the international market at the most competitive cost until we can fully recover from the pandemic,” Santiago said.

“More importantly, we are doing this without any additional cost impact to the Government’s general fund as we are funding these projects using internally-generated funds with no need for any kind of loan,” he added.

The completed Zamboanga seaport expansion projects reinvigorated the port as it can now handle at least 11,000 ship calls annually from only 8,000 ship calls in 2015. The port’s cargo capacity also doubled to at least 3 million metric tons (MMT) annually compared to its 2015 capacity of only 1.5 MMT.

Passenger capacity, on the other hand, is now at 3.5 million passengers annually from only 2 million during the previous administration. However, two years from now, the capacity is expected to jump to more than 6 million once the new terminal building has a capacity of 4,500 people at any given time.

“There is no let-up in the race towards the dream of the president to give Filipinos comfortable lives. The DOTr, under the leadership of Secretary Art Tugade, and the PPA continue to step-up the pace to gain further momentum for a lasting Duterte legacy,” Santiago said. (Zamboanga Post)