THE Regional Development Council (RDC) in Region 12 chaired by North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza has been pushing the development of the General Santos City Makar port and its facilities to maximize their operation and serve the key players of the agri-fishery industry in Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City).

"Lack of capacity and poor facilities of the GenSan Makar port are driving away the investment opportunities in Region 12, and the investors are complaining," said Taliño-Mendoza.

Both the RDC Region 12 and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) have recognized that there is really the need to maximize the operations of the General Santos City Makar port.

Taliño-Mendoza said that time is of the essence that RDC Region 12 cannot just wait and sit idly without doing something for the betterment of the investment opportunities for the investors because it lost a lot of opportunities in the past and that they cannot afford to lose more.

He said they have consulted key players in agri-fisheries and the shipping industry, where they voiced out the urgent need to develop the said port in order to cater the stakeholders' needs, and at the same time, regain the lost opportunities of the port and be at par with the other international ports in the country.

Because of this port's incapability, the prospective investors in Region 12 have been complaining of high logistical costs since their raw materials will have to pass through Davao City Port.

The General Santos City port of Makar serves as the primary gateway for agriculture and marine products being shipped from the provinces of South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani to the domestic and international markets.

It can be recalled that in September 2021, the General Santos Makar port unveiled its state-of-the-art P62.8-million port operations building that houses its port integrated clearance office, a one-stop shop for all PPA transactions like marine and terminal services, berthing, public assistance and complaints, assessment and collection services, among others.

The Makar Port used to serve domestic passenger routes for Zamboanga, Iloilo and Manila, and vice versa.