24 MARCH 2021, MANILA—Despite facing difficulties posed by the pandemic, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) managed to collect billions of pesos in dividend remittance to the national government for fiscal year 2020.

And while existing law mandates PPA to give at least 50% of its net income annually to the government, PPA General Manager Jay Daniel R. Santiago said the PPA Board has approved the initiative to give 56% of its net income for 2020 to the national coffers to assist the government in its COVID-19 response.

05 FEBRUARY, 2021, MANILA--Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and the APEC-Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Center, Port of Antwerp International (APEC-PAI) have entered into a new agreement on port cooperation in a bid to create a framework for a mutually beneficial cooperation between the PPA and the APEC-PAI in the field of port training, consultancy, port management and investment opportunities.

21 JANUARY 2021, MANILA—True to its commitment to help promote environmental protection and sustainability, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has ordered the mandatory planting of trees and mangroves for every contract, accreditation and permits issued by the agency.

The order takes effect on the 2nd of February after the 15-day publication period reckoning from 19 January 2021.

23 SEPTEMBER 2020, MANILA—With the end goal to facilitate the movement of seafarers to and from the country, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has formally opened a dedicated RT-PCR Molecular Testing Laboratory for this purpose.

With a daily testing capacity of approximately 2,000 and a 24 to 48-hour turnaround time for results, the new facility will cater to the testing requirements for crew-change hub ports controlled by the PPA.

19 SEPTEMBER 2020, MANILA—The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) on Friday formally launches its contact tracing system in its bid to facilitate the movement of people inside the ports while maintaining the highest health protocols amid the threat of the Coronavirus Disease pandemic.

Developed jointly by PPA in-house information technology experts and third-party developer Cosmotech Philippines, Inc., the mobile app TRAZE, has the capability to trace the movement of individuals inside PPA facilities without connecting to the internet.

20 JULY 2020, MANILA—A week after launching its electronic payment portal, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) on Monday, formally launches its Online Recruitment Portal (ORP), digitizing the agency’s recruitment processes from application to appointment.

The ORP is also in response to the ‘new normal’ being implemented by the government to help prevent the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus Disease 2019 by reducing, if not eliminating, face-to-face transactions—one of the single biggest contributors in the spread of the virus.

12 JUNE 2020, MANILA--TheDepartment of Transportation and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) announce the completion of 14 strategic port projects completed in the midst of the country’s fight against the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

These projects, when finally operated, will boost the operational capability of the ports particularly with the near resumption of interisland passenger travel and the movement of essential goods while the country tries to veer away from the clutches of the pandemic.

13 JULY 2020, MANILA—The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) on Monday launches its electronic-payment portal (EPP) in its bid to digitize the collection of port charges to reduce face-to-face transaction and comply with the ‘new normal’ scheme due to the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The EPP, designed and developed by in-house technology and online platform experts, is a major upgrade of the existing system of the PPA, which is slowly being put into place since 2018.

13 JULY 2020, MANILA—The year 2020 was supposed to be a prosperous year for the entire world according to fortune tellers.

Everybody was upbeat. The business community, government economic leaders, and GOCCs like PPA were anticipating unprecedented opportunities ushered in by the new year and a new decade.

Until disaster struck.

7 MAY 2020, MANILA—The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is implementing a Balik-Probinsya program for all its organic and outsourced personnel in support of the Government’s drive encouraging workers in the Metro to relocate instead to the countryside.

The order implementing the project has already been released Wednesday, May 6, and interested Manila-based personnel have until May 13 to enlist in the program. The Human Resource Management Department of PPA is spearheading the initiative.