The Department of Transportation (DOTr) plans to reintroduce an electronic ticketing system at seaports including Batangas Port, aiming to streamline passenger processing and bolster safety measures.

“They [DOTr and PPA] want to relaunch the electronic ticketing management system or ETMS so that [passengers] can book ticket purchase through online and can save time and  no longer need to line up to buy, just at least from the comfort of your home you can buy there your tickets”, DOTr Spokesperson for Business Infrastructure Maricar Bautista said during the PIA Ugnayan at Talakayan sa Laguna program.

Batangas Port, one of the Philippines’ busiest maritime hubs handling an average of 20,000 to 25,000 passengers daily, is among the key ports that stand to gain significantly from the reimplementation of the ETMS especially during peak travel seasons such as Holy Week and Christmas, where this number can surge significantly.

ETMS is a digital platform designed to manage booking, payment and issuance of ferry or port tickets online, primarily for passengers using roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ports and vessels.

It was previously suspended in September 2022 and officially discontinued in 2023 under former Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista. However, DOTr’s new chief Vivencio Dizon emphasized the system’s potential to restore order and transparency at busy ports, particularly during peak travel periods.

“Let’s take advantage of what we have modernized. The PPA plan is to revive it [ETMS] and even Secretary Dizon said before the year ends it will be implemented so let’s just wait for it and will just give more updates”, Bautista stated.

By introducing a unified digital ticketing platform through ETMS, the government seeks to reduce inefficiencies, promote cashless transactions, and ensure real-time monitoring of passenger volume which not only enhances travel experience for passengers, but also strengthens safety protocols by helping prevent overloading and streamlining boarding processes.​ 

PIA PHOTO