Kudat-Palawan sea cargo link likely before ferry
Kota Kinabalu: Minister of Special Tasks Datuk Teo Chee Kang said sea cargo transportation between Palawan, Philippines and Kudat, Sabah might be established first while waiting for the proposed roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferry service to take off.
He said Bimp-Eaga Malaysia Business Council Chairman, Datuk Roselan Johar Mohamed, had pointed out that the preparation of the ramp in Kudat was a little slow.
“But I assure that the State Economic Planning Unit (EPU) is pushing hard for funding from Kuala Lumpur,” he said, adding he believed the funding would sooner or later come.
Speaking at the welcoming dinner for a delegation from Palawan, Philippines led by Governor Jose Alvarez, he agreed with Roselan’s suggestion for the setting up of the sea cargo transportation link.
The proposed ro-ro ferry service between Palawan and Kudat was mooted in January last year when Teo led a business delegation from Sabah to Palawan.
It was reciprocated by Alvarez’s visit to Sabah, a few months later, shortly after taking over as the new Governor of Palawan.
His visit to Sabah in conjunction with the Harvest Festival celebration this year was his second.
Meanwhile, Teo welcomed Alvarez’s vision to rebuild the “land bridge” connecting the Borneo Island with the Philippines archipelago through Palawan.
In the older days, the land mass in the region was connected and Palawan used to be the land bridge.
Now, Alvarez envisioned to rebuild the land bridge, though not in physical terms, but by providing the necessary infrastructure for people like in Pontianak, Kalimantan to travel on a motorcycle all the way to Manila in the Philippines.
The Governor had said earlier in his speech that the land bridge would be his main priority.
On another note, Teo suggested that a tourism product that promotes both the World Heritage site in Palawan and Sabah be packaged.
He said in Palawan the World Heritage Site was Tubbataha Reef while in Sabah it is the Kinabalu National Park and packaging a product where people could visit the two places under one package.
Later, Alvarez and Teo witnessed the memoranda of understanding signing for educational collaboration between Palawan State University represented by its President, Dr Peter S. Sespene, and Jesselton College represented by its President, Prof. Fred Y F Chin.
The MoU signalled an increase of mutual understanding between the two neighbouring states, with emphasis on student and staff exchange programmes, workplace industry placement as well as education programme exchange.
In the Palawan delegation were 14 out of the 20 mayors in the province of Palawan.
Also on hand was City Hall Director-General Datuk Yeo Boon Hai.
Source: Daily Express
