P4.2 B earmarked to upgrade Cagayan int’l port

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – A P4.2-billion fund has been infused for the continued upgrading of the more-than-three-decade-old Port Irene in Cagayan, which is the premier international gateway to northern Philippines.

The Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), based in the northern coastal town of Santa Ana, said the fund was intended for a breakwater project to protect the port from strong winds and rough seas.

A government-controlled corporation, CEZA, which covers Santa Ana and parts of Aparri town, including Fuga Island, owns and operates Port Irene, which is located at Casambalangan Bay.

Jose Aldeguer, senior CEZA administrator, said the breakwater project, which is being constructed a distance away from the coastline, is expected to protect the port and its harbor from extremely strong winds and huge waves.

“The strength of the incoming winds and ocean waves will dissipate once they hit the breakwater, thus saving the port and its facilities from destruction,” Aldeguer said.

Besides, he said the project is CEZA’s counterpart for the port’s rehabilitation and development to meet international standards being undertaken by the Asia-Pacific International Terminal Inc. under a 25-year build-operate-transfer deal.

Of the 1,000-meter breakwater project, CEZA said 700 meters have been established while the remaining 300 meters are expected to be finished in 2014.

Once the project is completed, CEZA said the development of the 24-hectare port and upgrading of its facilities to become one of Asia’s premier shipping gateways will then take place. 

CEZA administrator Jose Mari Ponce said the port is being developed as a one-stop site for international shipping lines, open to major sea routes to facilitate the flow of goods and services and lure potential investors.

“CEZA, as a whole, is being transformed into an agro-industrial tourism and recreational center in North Philippines and as an alternative transshipment hub in order to unveil Cagayan Valley as an open growth area for international trade,” he said.

CEZA, created through Republic Act 7922 or the Cagayan Special Economic Zone Act of 1995 during the Ramos administration, is tasked to manage and supervise the development of the 54,118-hectare Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport.