SIX year ago, a ferry made its maiden voyage from Orion town in Bataan to Manila City. There is nothing unusual with the said fluvial travel except the fact that it cut short the travel time of the people of the said province to Manila tremendously.
Normally, the Balanga City (capital of Bataan) - Cubao or Avenida route (Metro Manila takes about 3 hours or more. However, with the said ferry service, travel time was cut short to 45 minutes from Orion to Manila Bay. Orion is near Balanga City.
The said ferry service made Manila and the whole Metro, closer to Bataan and vice-versa. It gave easy accessibility to the people of Bataan, Olongapo City and Zambales to Metro Manila via the sea.
The Port of Orion, where the ferry docks, gained prominence then not as a mere fishing port but a passenger port for people going to Metro Manila. The ferry also catered people going to Bataan including local tourists who wanted to get a glimpse of the historic province.
Perhaps due to the lack of marketing activities or promotions of the Orion-Manila ferry service that it was stopped. There were not enough passengers that maintenance of the ferries became costly.
Although the ferry service was the ideal mode of travel due to the fact that it cuts travel time a lot and provides travellers with convenience, there were not enough promotions to let people be aware of the existence of the route.
Last Tuesday, the same ferry service had its test run for the resumption of its operations. The good thing is, new ferries will be used and they will be operated by Magic Leaf Marine Logistics Corporation in partnership with the provincial government of Bataan.
We are hoping this time that marketing strategies of the said ferry service will be applied to let people know such as travellers and tourists that there is a better way of going to Bataan and other provinces of western Luzon through the said ferry service.
The resumption of the ferry service will be a big boost to the local economy of Bataan in particular. It is also a boost to tourism as people from Metro Manila and other adjacent areas can be enticed to visit the historic province with its numerous tourist spots and destinations.
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In relation to the ferry service, there is one that travels from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex to the island of Corregidor. For years now, it has been maintained and is servicing tourists visiting the yet another historic island that is very near Bataan.
The ferry service is part of the tour-guided activity for anyone who wish to be back in time when the Philippines is at war with Japan.
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