A commuter ferry on the Pasig River line on January 10, 2020. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News 

MANILA - The Department of Transportation said it is looking to set up an electric ferry system along the Manila Bay-Pasig River-Laguna Lake (MAPALLA) route.

Dubbed the MAPALLA Ferry System Project, the DOTr said it is working with the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center to develop the new mass transit system.

“We’re thinking of mobilizing P15 to 20 billion to put in a mega project [MAPALLA]. We’re thinking of an all-electric ferry fleet, multiple stations,” said Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan.

Batan said the ferry system will be patterned after the Chao Phraya River Ferry System in Bangkok and the New York Ferry System in New York City.

“Those are the examples we are looking at to replicate,” Batan said, adding that the project will be a commuter-type ferry system.

“This is something commuters can use on a daily basis to get to and from their places of work,” he explained.

Batan said proposals to participate in the project preparation for project "are gaining traction." 

The ferry system is seen to connect the waterways of Metro Manila, Cavite and Laguna, and will have intermodal transfers with other transit systems and active mobility networks, the DOTr added.

The agency however did not specify a timeline for the start of the construction or completion of the ferry system project.