RORO

oNE OF THE IDEAS that has floated around for our next reunion is the RORO. Here are some exceprts from an article on RORO by J. Tiga:

Highway on the sea: Travelling by RORO in the Philippines

Driving is fast becoming a popular option when going to various island destinations in the country like Iloilo, Cebu or Aklan. And, no, I’m not talking about a San Juanico-like bridge from Manila to Boracay.

More appropriately known as the Strong Republic Nautical Highway, the RORO (Roll-on, Roll-off) Highway is a 919-kilometer (land) and a 137 nautical mile (sea) transportation infrastructure that spans various highways on the land and virtual highways in the water through the use of RORO-capable sea vessels. Through this, travelers can drive their cars to RORO ports and board their cars on the ship. Upon docking on the next port, the cars will simply drive off the ship and continue the journey on the land.

The RORO Highway boasts interconnecting 17 provinces and cities throughout the country, which includes: Oriental Mindoro, Tagaytay (Cavite), Marinduque, Romblon, and Batangas in Luzon; Aklan, Antique, Iloilo, Capiz, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Cebu, Guimaras, and Siquijor in the Visayas; and Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte, and Dapitan City in Mindanao.


The goal of the RORO Highway is to reduce the cost of travel by 37-43 percent for passengers and 24-34 percent for cargo (when compared with both sea and air travel), while reducing travel time by 12 hours (when compared to ordinary sea travel). As an example, if one were to visit Antique by air, one would have to go through Iloilo and pay a Php 4,000 fare for a one-way ticket. From Iloilo, one would still need to take a three-hour bus ride.


In contrast, fare in an air-conditioned bus from the Alabang to Antique RORO Highway is only about Php 1,200. However, the RORO Highway takes 20 hours to complete its journey from Alabang to Antique, while it only takes 5 hours by air, including the three-hour bus ride.
The approximate charges are as follows for those driving their own cars: the Manila-Caticlan, Manila-Iloilo, Batangas-Caticlan, Batangas- Iloilo route would cost Php 1,500; Batangas-Calapan would be Php 600; Php 1000 for Roxas-Caticlan; Php 1700 for Iloilo-Bacolod; and Php 1,900 for Dumaguete to Dapitan.


Since travelling the RORO Highway means a lot of driving (and idle time while waiting to drive again), tourists are advised to bring various items which can help pass the time while waiting to arrive at your preferred destination. This includes books, music/movie players, and gaming devices. Packing food, such as sandwiches and snacks, and water are also advised in order to help alleviate hunger and thirst during long moments of driving without convenience stores. Bringing toiletries, of course, goes without saying.