Ma. Lourdes N. Tiquia
THE late Senator Leticia Ramos Shahani used to hammer the point: “The Philippines is a maritime nation, we should claim it and own it. We are not just archipelagic but also maritime.” It is in this light that we should push for the further build-up of our nautical highway, which was launched during President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term. The nautical highway provides another means of transporting people and products from any point in the three-island chain of the country, as well as connect the archipelago for purposes of domestic and international tourism. The nautical highway should be complementary to the rail systems that the Duterte administration plans to build.