OPOL Municipal Mayor Maximo Seno, on Friday, December 1, said fast crafts going to and from Camiguin and Bohol will be docking at the pier in Opol, Misamis Oriental temporarily starting this December.
"Ito kasing pantalan natin ginagamit sa fish landing natin. So ngayon, gumawa kami ng resolusyon or ordinance na magamit [ang pier] sa fast craft (The pier is being used by the municipality's fish landing. Now, we are creating a resolution or an ordinance pursuing the use of the pier by fast crafts)," Seno said.
Seno said the FastCat, a fleet of catamaran-type Roll-on/Roll-off vessels which is operated by the Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corporation, will be able to cater passengers all over Misamis Oriental who are planning to travel to Camiguin and Bohol.
According to its website, each FastCat vessel can accommodate up to 275 passengers, including the disabled and the elderly, and has a capacity of approximately 300 lane meters for trucks, cars and other land vehicles. It can hold 34 cars and a seven trucks or buses.
With the Opol pier as its landing port, Seno said this will boost the tourism of the municipality and can help with provide employment to its residents, adding that the additional employees, such as those in its ticketing office, security guards, etc., hired by the FastCat will be from Opol.
Seno also said that the municipal will be able to gain revenue from the proceeds coming from the charges which will be paid by the FastCat such as the landing fee, working fee, and among others.
“Yung pasahero naman, magbabayad ng terminal fee. Yung income ng Opol yan (The passengers will also be paying for the terminal fee. The income from that will be given to Opol),” Seno added.
Seno said the tentative schedule of FastCat’s operations in Opol will start on December 16, that is, Seno added, if the permit and all the requirements the ferry needed will be completed right away.