Featured image shows the E-Ferry M/B Dalaray (meaning ‘flow of current’) as it hums its way along the Pasig River, leisurely navigating the historic waterway in its pilot run. The E-Ferry may soon ply the river routes, barring any hitch, in November to transport students, employees, and other passengers escaping Metro Manila’s suffocating traffic jams. (Photo: SDN)

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PLAZA MEXICO, Intramuros, Manila, October 6, 2025 (SDN) — To say that Metro Manila streets are congested is an understatement.

What with hundreds of thousands of cars — both private- and government-owned — plying every stretch of the urban metropolitan jungle. You can’t drop a pin on peak hours.

Add to these smoke-belchers the hundreds or even thousands of two-wheeled vehicles of which many of its riders are derisively called “kamote” for their utter lack of discipline and road courtesy, plying their trade oblivious of life-threatening danger.

Don’t forget the hundreds of 10-wheeler behemoths of container vans carrying loads that animate the country’s economic life.

And recently 3-wheeled electric vehicles (EVs) have started appearing like mushrooms in Metro Manila streets, adding congestion to an already snail-paced thoroughfares.

Much has been done by the government in addressing, trying to solve, the mammoth traffic jams in Metro Manila, but to no avail. There’s just too much of these day and night road crawlers.

The government has also been unable to implement its oft-repeated policy of phasing out old vehicles from the streets — especially the thousands of ubiquitous jeepneys, the backbone of many poor Filipinos’ livelihood.

Whether the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchizing and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) have the political will remains to be seen. The planned phaseout has been renewed a few times but nothing’s happened until presently. Jeepneys continue their merry ways, old and dilapidated taxis like coffins on the road are still unsightly to behold.

Speaking of daily bumber-to-bumper traffic jams, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), led by Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr., and the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD), Quezon City, launched here today, Monday, the country’s first passenger Electric Ferry (E-Ferry) boat dubbed the M/V Dalaray, a prototype catamaran.

Pasig River a witness to many Philippine first

Collaborating agencies included the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Partnership in Environment Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), and Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, Inc. (SONAME).

The innovation arm of the DOST, the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) headed by Executive Director Enrico C. Paringit provided the Grants-in-Aid (GIA) funding for the project to the tune of Php54.29 million.

The marine transport system is DOST’s answer to decongest Metro Manila’s roads and is seen to serve schools and  businesses on its routes along the winding historic Pasig River which connects the cities of Manila, Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig, and Taguig.

Tourism is also in the minds of the DOST and its UPD designers to serve local and foreign visitors who want to have a go-see adventure to gawk at the architectural masterpieces dotting the river banks’ skyline.

Developed by a research team from the UPD Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI), the E-Ferry M/B Dalaray built at a cost of Php30 million is envisioned to transform urban transportation in Metro Manila, with an eye on the Pasig River to make easy the commute between the five cities to a marine transport mode and escape the suffocating and stressful land travel that Metro Manila residents suffer from every day. Also being eyed is connection with Marikina City and several towns around Laguna Lake covering the provinces of Rizal and Laguna.

Solidum, the Philippines’ science chief, noted the key role the Pasig River played in the nation’s history, saying it witnessed many firsts.

“It was one of the first trade routes in our history, the lifeline that connected communities, fostered commerce, and transformed our country into a global trading hub,” he recalls.

“It witnessed the construction of our first bridges and government centers. And today, it witnesses yet another milestone: the launching of the country’s first locally developed battery electric passenger ferry.

“In short, the Pasig River has seen the firsts of our civilization, colonization, modernization, and now, decarbonization.”

MMDA shows interest in purchasing and owning E-Ferry transport

PCIEERD Executive Director Enrico C. Paringit said the event marked another historic milestone in the country’s research & development (R&D) initiatives.

“Ferries,” he remarks, “are more than just an alternative means of transport. They can also be lifelines in times of crisis. Natural disasters wreak havoc on our structures.

“In Metro Manila, the threat of a destructive earthquake could cripple land-based transport. Imagine damaged roads, collapsed bridges, and impassable railways. How will the people survive?”

The answer, he said, are ferries as they can sustain the movement of people and essential goods to ensure the connection of communities and, more importantly, get access to those who are in most need of assistance.

Paringit cited the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami that destroyed bridges and damaged roads, adding because of these situation the Japanese people used ferries to transport passengers, vehicles, and even heavy rescue equipment.

“This shows the huge significance of ferry systems in our country. It is no longer (just) for everyday mobility but also for disaster preparedness and response,” the PCIEERD chief points out.

The MMDA through Undersecretary Frisco San Juan, Jr. welcomed the introduction of the E-Ferry transport system in the country.

“You have our full support,” he assures the DOST and UPD.

San Juan raised the possibility that the MMDA may purchase E-Ferries if they have the budget for it, saying its introduction offers a viable alternative transport mode. He also said the marine transport system will help in lowering carbon emission in Metro Manila.

E-Ferry provides several advantages

“We look forward to purchasing this ferry,” the MMDA deputy chairman, representing MMDA Chairman Romando Artes, says, adding it can help students and employees of businesses along it’s routes.

Solidum pointed out that the DOST has already invested Php926.6 million funding since 2014 for research in electric vehicle and technologies related to it, saying its the agency’s commitment to sustainable mobility.

The DOST chief pointed out that the building of M/V Dalaray considered Pasig River’s condition, such as “ensuring passenger comfort, energy efficiency, and ease of maintenance.”

He adds: “Fabricated in accordance with local standards and safety regulations, it runs on an electric propulsion system that reduces both emissions and noise. Most importantly, it was built by Filipino engineers and innovators — proving that we can design and deliver technologies that serve both people and the planet.”

Dr. Lew Andrew R. Tria, E-Ferry project lead, described the marine transport as “impactful project” while assuring its safety having undergone many tests and is fully registered with the government.

It’s “an attractive and very useful mode of transportation in these cities (along the Pasig River). It’s cheaper to operate than gasoline (transport mode).”

Relying on battery, Tria, director of the UPD EEEI, is confident it will not run out of power as there already are three charging stations along its routes.

He said the E-Ferry can accommodate 40 passengers, three crews, sails on a speed of 8 knots (13 to 14 km/h) and its trials started in September and its integration projected in November next month.

Tria invited the private sector to invest in the E-Ferry mode of mobility, telling SDN – SciTech & Digital News there are three companies that showed interest, but still in an exploratory stage.

The DOST and UPD expect the E-Ferry to provide commuters a cleaner and greener journey around the metropolis; make a dent on Metro Manila’s traffic congestion; boost the economy using rivers to ferry people and goods, as well as attract tourists; help lessen the dependence on fossil fuel of the transport industry for a future-ready mobility; and cut the risk of oil spills and pollution for cleaner and safer waterways.

As the funding agency, PCIEERD monitors the E-Ferry transport project. — EDD K. Usman (©)

Update:

The story has been updated with more information and details.

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The author

EDD, a native of Sub-Saharan Africa Buluan/Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur, BARMM, college at UST, is a Manila-based journalist for over 40 years (33 years with Manila Bulletin), has five Media Awards (1 with University of the Philippines (UP) 2017 Science Journalism Award), covered and traveled over 40 times abroad), has contributed to Rappler, Business Mirror, Manila Business Insights, Panorama Magazine, Agriculture Magazine, and others, former Manila-based Foreign Correspondent of Saudi Arabia newspapers Saudi Gazette and Riyadh Daily, and The Peninsula (Qatar newspaper), with 2008 East-West Center (EWC) Journalism Seminar in the United States, 2000 Executive IT Seminar in Seoul, South Korea, with three Silver Awards in Photography, writes Muslim and Current Affairs, Enterprise, Science, Tech, Products Launch, and virtually everything under Heaven. (©)