The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) held a public webinar on October 20, 2022, from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM via Zoom.
This virtual event featured the PIDS study titled “Government Strategies in the Water Transport Sector: A Closer Look at Philippine Ports” authored by Research Fellow Kris A. Francisco and Research Analyst Valerie L. Lim. Transport infrastructure is one of the key elements in achieving balanced growth within an economy. The water transport sector, in particular, plays a much larger role in an archipelagic country such as the Philippines. The country, however, has underinvested in public infrastructure for several years, resulting in low quality of infrastructure and some inefficiencies in the operation of seaports, which are the main infrastructure in the water transport sector. This study analyzed the performance of the Philippine ports through domestic and international lenses by using previous studies and comparative statistics on ASEAN countries. Results show that despite having more international ports, the country’s container and cargo throughput and international passenger traffic are lower than its ASEAN neighbors. This can be attributed to the perceived low quality of Philippine ports and low level of shipping connectivity. A review of previous studies reveals that issues in the water transport sector are related to the quality of infrastructure, inefficiencies in operation, and congestion.
A copy of the study may be downloaded from this link:
DOWNLOAD PRESENTATIONS:
Presentation of Dr. Kris Francisco, Research Fellow, Philippine Institute for Development Studies
Presentation of Mr. Eleazar Ricote, Deputy Executive Director, Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines