Anticipated Increase in Shipping Companies for New Cotabato-Lamitan Sea Route
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With the prevailing peace in Basilan province, officials are optimistic about the future expansion of shipping companies that will serve the recently established sea route connecting Cotabato City, the regional center of Bangsamoro, to Lamitan City.
Chairman Manan U. Sumampil of the Association of Barangay Captains in Lamitan City expressed their elation following a meeting between their mayor, Roderick Herrera Furigay, and Bangsamoro Transportation and Communications Minister Paisalin Pangandaman Tago on Monday.
The meeting focused on the advantages of the Cotabato-Lamitan sea route, which was inaugurated last month.
Tago was accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao MoTC-BARMM), including Deputy Minister Mohammad Ameen Abbas, during their visit to Lamitan City.
The route, launched last month, connects Cotabato City through the Polloc Seaport in the neighboring town of Parang in Maguindanao del Norte to the Lamitan City Harbor, a crucial transshipment point in Basilan, which is a component-province of BARMM.
Sumampil, representing Barangay Sengal, expressed gratitude to MOTC-BARMM and their city government for jointly establishing the Cotabato-Lamitan sea route, recognizing its significant contribution to the socio-economic development of the 45 barangays in Lamitan City.
Currently, the M/V Island Paradise, a passenger and cargo vessel operated by Safti Shipping Company, serves the route.
Tago extended his appreciation to the shipping company for readily providing an initial vessel to transport passengers and cargo between the two locations.
During the meeting, Furigay and Tago agreed to collaborate in ensuring the smooth operation of Lamitan City Port and implementing necessary improvements to the facility as required.
In a separate meeting with Maluso Mayor A. Hanie Bud, president of the league of mayors in the province, Minister Tago and other MOTC-BARMM officials discussed essential concerns relating to Basilan.
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