Guimaras is positioning to become a logistics hub, catering for Western Visayas and the Negros Island Region.

Governor JC Rahman Nava said yesterday they are banking on history when Guimaras used to serve as a trans-loading facility for bulk sugar that was exported by Western Visayas, although it is not a sugar-producing province.

“Guimaras contributed so much during the heydays of the sugar industry,” Nava said in an interview.

The facility is located beside the Jordan Wharf, although it is already private property.

Unknown to the public, Guimaras was also considered for a naval base by the Americans before the Subic Bay because of its strategic positioning capacity to hold bigger seaport, Nava said.

“It’s a matter of identifying which of the potential sites and how much would be the cost and what will be the primary function,” he said, adding that there are suggestions that they could serve as an agricultural port.

The potential areas in the province are on the northwestern side of the province, from Jordan to Nueva Valencia towns.

These are areas where seaport maintenance is less and entails no dredging, he said.

He added there is only a need to harmonize areas for tourism, mariculture, and seaport service. (PNA)