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The Philippine Ports Authority has created a special unit to take over operations at Lucena port in Quezon
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The PPA-Lucena Port Services, created under PPA Memorandum Order No. 001-2026, will manage, operate and maintain the cargo-handling, passenger terminal building, and other related services
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Management of Lucena port is among those up public-private partnership bidding
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has created a special unit to take over operations at Lucena port in Quezon.
The PPA-Lucena Port Services (LPS), created under PPA Memorandum Order (MO) No. 001-2026, will manage, operate and maintain the cargo-handling, passenger terminal building (PTB), and other related services at Lucena port, taking over from Moriones Port Services and Trading, Inc. whose contract has expired.
Among its functions and duties, LPS is tasked to ensure the continuous and uninterrupted cargo-handling and PTB services in a more efficient manner and collect the existing cargo-handling and PTB fees, rental rates, and other charges for cargo-handling services rendered.
LPS should also utilize the present labor force of the incumbent cargo-handling operator under the same terms and conditions prevailing at the time of the effectivity of the MO dated January 5, and observe all labor laws, rules, and regulations.
The special takeover unit will be under the management, supervision, and control of PPA Port Management Office of Marinduque/Quezon, to be complemented by PPA officials and employees as the PPA general manager may designate.
PPA has been creating these interim units over the past years when necessary, such as when the existing cargo-handling operator’s contract has expired and no operator has been selected.
These units operate the ports, and may bring in the minimum cargo-handling equipment required, which they may lease from the previous operators.
These units are dissolved after a new contract is awarded to a private operator through a bidding process conducted by the PPA.
Based on PPA’s submitted list of projects to the Public-Private Partnership Center as of May 2025, Lucena port is among those up for bidding.
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Lucena port handles rolling cargoes and passengers. In 2021, PPA inaugurated the port’s new two-story Port Operations Building, an additional reinforced concrete pier, back-up area, and mooring and fendering system. A new passenger terminal building is being constructed from the port’s previous transit shed. Moreover, PPA last November awarded the P618.9 million contract to J.C. Piñon Construction Inc. for the port’s expansion project, which includes the construction of a port operational area with continuous roll-on/roll-off ramp on fill.
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