Batangas: The next Metro Manila

Published June 7, 2019, 12:05 AM

CHANGING WORLD
By DR. BERNARDO M. VILLEGAS

Batangas is among the leading provinces in the “Build, Build, Build” program of the

Duterte administration. Several road projects have been completed for easier mobility of

goods and services and accessibility of the province to the neighboring regions, especially

the National Capital Region. Notable among the completed infrastructure projects in

Calabarzon are the following: the opening/concreting of General Aguinaldo-Magallanes-

Nasugbu Road (East-West Road) which includes the construction of a 25-lineal meter

bridge linking Magallanes, Cavite, with Nasugbu, Batangas; the widening of the Lemery-

Taal Diversion Road which has addressed traffic gridlock along the national road network

leading to tourism areas in Nasugbu, Batangas; and the widening of the Bauan-Mabini

Road in Mabini, Batangas which facilitates not only the enhancement of tourism but also

the transport of products to neighboring towns and provinces.

The much-needed widening of the Sto. Tomas section of Daang Maharlika has

shortened travel time by as much as 30 percent and mitigated flooding with the provision

of drainage systems along the highway. Safer connectivity between the towns of Taysan

and Lobo, Batangas, has been facilitated by the completion of the new Dona Alicia Bridge

along the Batangas-Lobo Road which is not only wider but has been reinforced to carry

higher load capacity.

As mentioned above, the trimodal transport system that Governor Mandanas is

expected to complete in the next six years will mean a vast improvement in the supply

chain or logistics sector in the province of Batangas. Top on the list is the Batangas

International Airport that will be located in the municipalities of Alitagtag and San

Pascual. The international airport will be developed in tandem with an industrial park and
an export processing zone. The airport will be located in a consolidated property of 1,000

hectares that will not require any reclamation of land and has enough reserved space for

future development. The Batangas Port Development Phase IV will require the

reclamation and construction of two container terminals and cargo berths for international

cargo. Some 300 hectares will be reclaimed from the sea beside the existing Batangas

International Port Phase 1. This expansion will double the cargo capacity of the

South Luzon area and will include a RORO terminal for faster handling. Batangas

international cargo growth has been estimated at 7 to 10% annually.

The expansion of the Batangas International Seaport will require improving access

to the port from Batangas City. To address this, the planned Batangas City Access Zone

will involve the reclamation of an additional 64 hectares along the coast, expandable to

100 hectares; construction of two-lane access roads, port and docking areas, warehousing

and storage yards; and a suspended train, to provide easy access to the Batangas

Regional Food Terminal and oil depots. An indispensable complementary infrastructure

to the expanded Batangas international seaport will be the Calamba-to-Batangas City

railway spur line. This will consist of a 55-kilometer extension of the South Line (North-

South Railway Project) from Calamba, Laguna, to Batangas City. This spur line will end

with the Batangas International Seaport and will link up to the Filinvest Technology Park

and the Light Industry and Science Parks II and III.

Another major infrastructure is needed to support the key role played in the energy

sector by Batangas which currently handles 50% of nationwide oil and gas supply. There

is a plan to develop and operate 110 kilometers of oil pipeline from Batangas City to

southwest Muntinlupa City. Muntinlupa is being considered as a possible replacement for

Pandacan for the new site of oil depots. In the same manner, major infrastructure is

needed to support the role of Batangas province as a food belt for the National Capital

Region and most of Calabarzon. The province is planning to set up a Batangas Regional
Food Terminal on a 29-hectare coastal area in Batangas City for agricultural processing,

and cold storage of produce from the Calabarzon region extending all the way to the island

of Mindoro, which is a major source of such agricultural products as calamansi and the

saba variety of bananas which are important ingredients for the catsup industry in the

National Capital Region. The Food Terminal will serve as an alternative market for farmers

and fishermen who can do direct marketing, both wholesale and retail. The Batangas

Regional Food Terminal will be designed to accommodate a livestock terminal; bulk grain

handling; cold storage; abattoir; meat, fish, fruit, and vegetable processing; cargo trucking

services and port cargo handling.

Batangas can also be a host for heavy industries, very much needed in catching

up with the industrialization process of our neighboring East Asian economies. The

provincial government plans to set up a 90 to 280-hectare coastal industrial hub for lease

by resorting to the PPP modality, i.e., in partnership with property owners. This industrial

site will be ideal for shipbuilding, logistics, dry docks, and power plants. Fortunately, there

is a great likelihood that the present governor, Hermilando Mandanas, is sufficiently

popular that he can continue for the next six years, long enough for these enumerated

public-partnership projects to be actually implemented. Under his leadership, the province

of Batangas can truly aspire to be the next megacity in the Philippines, competing with

Metro Manila as the premier industrial center of the country.