Philippine Ports Authority Awards P2.19-Billion Matnog Port Expansion Phase 1 Contract to Davao-Based Joint Venture
Key Takeaways
- •A joint venture between Khan Kon Chi Construction and Development Corp. and SB Construction Corp. won the P2.19-billion contract for the first phase of the Matnog Port expansion in Sorsogon.
- •Six companies submitted bids, and the award, issued in an Oct. 27 notice, went to the venture offering the lowest price.
- •The winning bidder is required to finish the first phase within 900 calendar days, equivalent to two years and five months.
- •Phase one involves site-clearing works including removal, disposal and excavation, while the port operations area and roll-on/roll-off ramp are scheduled under later phases.
- •Matnog Port, located at the southern tip of Luzon, anchors a road-and-ferry route across the San Bernardino Strait that forms part of the nautical highway linking Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has awarded the P2.19-billion contract for the first phase of the Matnog Port expansion in Sorsogon to a Davao-based construction and engineering company, as the state port regulator continues efforts to upgrade key gateways in the country's inter-island transport network.
In a notice of award dated Oct. 27, the PPA said the contract was secured by a joint venture between Khan Kon Chi Construction and Development Corp. and SB Construction Corp. According to the PPA's bids and awards committee, six companies submitted bids for the project, with the award going to the venture that offered the lowest bid of P2.19 billion.
Under the bid notice, the winning bidder must complete the project within 900 calendar days, equivalent to two years and five months.
The Matnog Port expansion will be carried out in three phases. The first phase covers site-clearing works, including removal, disposal and excavation. The remaining phases involve the construction of a port operations area and a roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) ramp. With those operational components scheduled under the later phases, the 900-calendar-day completion window set in the bid notice will serve as the timeline against which the project's progression from site preparation to port infrastructure is measured.
Matnog Port sits at the southern tip of Luzon and serves as a critical link in the Philippines' road-and-ferry network. From Matnog, land traffic crosses by ferry into Samar, continues over the San Juanico Bridge into Leyte, and then reaches Mindanao at Surigao via a second ferry crossing. The Matnog–Allen ferry route across the San Bernardino Strait forms part of the country's nautical highway system connecting Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.
The PPA, the government agency responsible for the development and operation of public ports in the Philippines, has been pursuing the upgrade and expansion of seaports nationwide to boost their capacity for both cargo and passenger traffic.
This report was first published by BusinessWorld on Oct. 29, 2026, with reporting by Ashley Erika O. Jose: https://bworldonline.com/economy/2026/10/29/790195/matnog-port-expansion-phase-1-contract-awarded/
