The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) is firm on the phaseout of wooden-hulled motorboats, despite the complaints of irate passengers of the Guimaras-Iloilo route that the available fiberglass types were not enough to ferry them. Marina said the deadline, which took effect at the end of 2020, had been extended several times already to give domestic boat owners enough time to acquire plastic or fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) boats. The local government units (LGU) and motorboat operators of Guimaras sought reprieve from the phaseout, citing the inconvenience caused by the expiration of the franchises of their wooden-hulled pump boats.

Ayeng, R. (2021, January 6). No retreat in phaseout of wooden-hulled boats. Daily Tribune, p. B16.