26 January 2017 - Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Maria Lumen B. Isleta and members of the Philippines and Indonesia Inter-Agency Task Force for the Operationalization of the Davao/General Santos (D/GB) Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) Route discussed on January 17 the preparations for the maiden voyage of the RoRo, which will connect Davao and General Santos City to Bitung, Indonesia.

The D/GB RoRo Route under the ASEAN RoRo Initiative aims to enhance maritime connectivity in ASEAN and to maximize the use of regional sea lanes.

The opening of the route is a more cost and time-efficient alternative to the usual Manila to  Jakarta to Bitung route, which would take about three to five weeks of shipping time.  In contrast, direct shipping through the Davao-GenSan-Bitung route will take only one day and a half by ship, excluding the port stay.

The route is also expected to spur trade between Mindanao and the Sulawesi provinces in Indonesia and provide greater access for local businessmen to engage in international trade, as well as stimulate other areas of development such as joint tourism promotion, establishment of direct  linkages, and increase in investment inflows. END