PMO Surigao 2025 revenue breaks record, hits P968-M milestone
By Susil D. Ragas
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte (PIA) — Defying broader domestic market trends and building upon the momentum of previous years, the Port Management Office (PMO) of Surigao reached a historic financial milestone, recording an astounding P968,450,140 in annual revenue for 2025.
This performance, which brings the PMO to the doorstep of becoming a billion-peso revenue earner, represents a 20 percent increase from 2024. Perhaps most impressively, the PMO surpassed its annual target of P 871 million as early as the first week of November, eventually exceeding expectations by nearly P100 million.
This surge in revenue served as a powerful rejoinder to recent reports regarding cooling domestic shipping sectors. While domestic vessel calls saw a ‘market cooling’ contraction of 2.77 percent and domestic cargo throughput dipped by 8.30 percent, PMO Surigao’s overall financial health has never been stronger.
PMO Surigao Port Manager Froilan U. Caturla explains that the dip in domestic volume is not due to economic distress, but rather to a strategic normalization following the “revenge spending” cycles of 2022–2024.
“The 2025 fiscal year highlighted two primary engines driving this record-breaking revenue, such as the global mineral trade that is driven by insatiable global demand for nickel ore—critical for stainless steel and the electric vehicle (EV) battery market—foreign ship calls at private facilities rose to 806, a 7.61 percent increase,” he said. “This translated to a 5.76 percent boost in foreign cargo throughput, totaling over 37 million metric tons.”
“The Roll-On/Roll-Off (RORO) revolution, defying the stabilization seen in other domestic sectors, RORO traffic experienced an impressive 12.02 percent surge, reaching 413,695 units,” Caturla added, emphasizing the Lipata Ferry Terminal has solidified its role as a vital economic artery, bridging the Visayas and Mindanao, serving as a vital hub port to multiple spoke ports in Southern Leyte.
Caturla also shared that the PMO’s record-breaking year was matched by international and local acclaim. “In July 2025, the office received the Earth Day ‘Our Power, Our Planet Heroes’ Award in New Delhi, India, for its environmental stewardship. Additionally, toilet facilities at the Port Integrated Clearance Office (PICO) took home the top prize for sanitation at the Surigao City Tourism Excellence Awards.” (SDR, PIIA Surigao del Norte with a report from PPA-PMO Surigao)
