Post by ferryfast admin on Mar 20, 2005 23:21:11 GMT -5
Big ferry firm worries Boracay boat men
Posted 02:37am (Mla time) Mar 21, 2005
By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Inquirer News Service
www.inq7.net/
Hundreds of ferry boat owners and workers servicing passengers between the Caticlan jetty port in the Aklan mainland to Boracay Island would lose their livelihood because of the entry of a Manila-based ferry service provider, the head of the cooperative of the ferry boat operators and crew said.
Godofredo Sadiasa, chair of the Caticlan-Boracay Transport Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CBTMPC), said the entry of Magsaysay Maritime Corp. (MMC) would deprive income to around 500 families dependent on the operations of 84 small motorized outrigger boats ferrying passengers to the island.
"It will kill us," Sadiasa said in a telephone interview.
He said the daily operation of a ferry boat earns around P2,500, which is evenly divided between the owner and the crew. But they stand to lose this income with the entry of the MMC ferries.
MMC board chair Eduardo Manese on March 11 signed a memorandum of understanding with Aklan provincial officials to provide ferry boat service to the island-resort. The signing was witnessed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
MMC will initially provide four steel-hulled ferry boats with a 75-passenger capacity under its P150-million project set to be implemented in the last quarter of this year.
Manese said each of the 100-ton boats would be built in Aklan. The vessels, costing P10 million to P15 million each, will be equipped with lighting facilities for night travel and capable of operating even during the windy season.
At present, motorized outrigger boats carrying 20 to 30 passengers transport tourists to and from the island. The services are only up to 6 p.m., except for special or emergency trips.
Manese said the bigger boats would accommodate the increasing number of passengers to the island, which has reached an average of 2,000 daily.
But Sadiasa said their cooperative has already invested in a 60-seater ferry boat costing P2.5 million. They also plan to bring in a P2.3-million 50-seat craft for tourists.
"We were not given a chance to prove that we could provide the services that MMC plans to bring in," said Sadiasa.
He said the local government should give priority to the interests of the residents instead of big companies. "Why favor MMC at the detriment of the small ferryboat operators and crew who are from Malay town?"
He said bringing in many modern and fast crafts in Boracay is impractical because the island is just a 10-minute ride from the jetty port in Barangay Caticlan.
He also pointed out that tourists preferred the small boats because they complimented the tropical ambiance of the island.
But Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez said the cooperative’s members have nothing to fear.
"The market is so big and there are many local tourists who would ride in the motorized bancas," Marquez said in a telephone interview.
He said investors were needed to upgrade the services for the increasing number of tourists going to the island.
Tourist arrivals to the island increased by 26 percent last year from 339,434 in 2003 to 428,755 last year. This was the highest percentage growth in five years.
Tourists poured in P7.88 billion to the economy last year, 26.31 percent more than the P6.24 billion recorded in 2003.
Posted 02:37am (Mla time) Mar 21, 2005
By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Inquirer News Service
www.inq7.net/
Hundreds of ferry boat owners and workers servicing passengers between the Caticlan jetty port in the Aklan mainland to Boracay Island would lose their livelihood because of the entry of a Manila-based ferry service provider, the head of the cooperative of the ferry boat operators and crew said.
Godofredo Sadiasa, chair of the Caticlan-Boracay Transport Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CBTMPC), said the entry of Magsaysay Maritime Corp. (MMC) would deprive income to around 500 families dependent on the operations of 84 small motorized outrigger boats ferrying passengers to the island.
"It will kill us," Sadiasa said in a telephone interview.
He said the daily operation of a ferry boat earns around P2,500, which is evenly divided between the owner and the crew. But they stand to lose this income with the entry of the MMC ferries.
MMC board chair Eduardo Manese on March 11 signed a memorandum of understanding with Aklan provincial officials to provide ferry boat service to the island-resort. The signing was witnessed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
MMC will initially provide four steel-hulled ferry boats with a 75-passenger capacity under its P150-million project set to be implemented in the last quarter of this year.
Manese said each of the 100-ton boats would be built in Aklan. The vessels, costing P10 million to P15 million each, will be equipped with lighting facilities for night travel and capable of operating even during the windy season.
At present, motorized outrigger boats carrying 20 to 30 passengers transport tourists to and from the island. The services are only up to 6 p.m., except for special or emergency trips.
Manese said the bigger boats would accommodate the increasing number of passengers to the island, which has reached an average of 2,000 daily.
But Sadiasa said their cooperative has already invested in a 60-seater ferry boat costing P2.5 million. They also plan to bring in a P2.3-million 50-seat craft for tourists.
"We were not given a chance to prove that we could provide the services that MMC plans to bring in," said Sadiasa.
He said the local government should give priority to the interests of the residents instead of big companies. "Why favor MMC at the detriment of the small ferryboat operators and crew who are from Malay town?"
He said bringing in many modern and fast crafts in Boracay is impractical because the island is just a 10-minute ride from the jetty port in Barangay Caticlan.
He also pointed out that tourists preferred the small boats because they complimented the tropical ambiance of the island.
But Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez said the cooperative’s members have nothing to fear.
"The market is so big and there are many local tourists who would ride in the motorized bancas," Marquez said in a telephone interview.
He said investors were needed to upgrade the services for the increasing number of tourists going to the island.
Tourist arrivals to the island increased by 26 percent last year from 339,434 in 2003 to 428,755 last year. This was the highest percentage growth in five years.
Tourists poured in P7.88 billion to the economy last year, 26.31 percent more than the P6.24 billion recorded in 2003.