Described as the country’s largest and most modern port, the new Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) at the Batangas Port is expected to accommodate up to 12.8 million people annually from its current four million. 

No less than President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., led the terminal inauguration of the PTB Expansion Project. 

“This increases Batangas Port's annual passenger capacity from four million to 12.8 million. The Port of Batangas Passenger Terminal Building has a multi-level car storage facility that can take on 13,000 vehicles,” Marcos said.

Covering 1.5 hectares, the PTB is aims to help decongest the pier in Manila.

The PTB is fully air-conditioned and equipped with two additional ticketing zones.

“Tiyak ako na hindi lang maginhawang paglalakbay ang atin dito pero mas maraming manlalakbay ang mahihikayat na bumiyahe dahil sa modernong pasilidad tulad nito,” Marcos said.

Some passengers also suggest the need for additional ships, especially during peak seasons when over 20,000 passengers enter the Batangas Port.

“Para madali ang biyahe [at] hindi na matagal ang paghihintay [ay] madagdagan ang barko pa [at] mapabilis [ang proseso],” Charity Grace Tolentino, a passenger, said,

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) said it is working with the Maritime Industry Development Plan (MIDP) to address this concern.

“The Maritime Industry Authority has been continuously coordinating with different shipping companies with regards to the modernization and expansion of the domestic shipping industry,” Atty. Ivy Audrey Telegatos-Fampo, Public Relations Officer of MARINA Region 4, said.

The opening of the expanded Passenger Terminal at Batangas Port also creates job opportunities and income for emerging businesses in the area.