With congested ports, Santa Claus can't come to PHL, group says

The Port Congestion Multi-sectoral Working Group (PC-MWG) on Friday said Santa Claus might not be able come to the Philippines this Christmas due to the high volume of undelivered cargo clogging the Port of Manila.

 

In a press conference in Makati, Fernando Peña of the Management Association of the Philippines said measures like lifting a ban on trucks on Roxas Boulevard are needed to ease congestion and to allow the timely delivery of goods and balikbayan boxes.  

 

Peña said they are seeking a moratorium on the truck ban as it is worsening congestion at the port, especially with the holiday import surge.

 

He added that by "moratorium," they do not mean "cease or suspend the law" but "let's sit down and talk before you implement this law."

 

Peña said the "moratorium" was needed to review all the new laws and "implement this one by one in proper order."

 

A total truck ban was implemented starting on Dec. 3 along the eight-lane Roxas Boulevard that connects Manila to Pasay and Parañaque.

 

The holiday truck ban aims to ease traffic along Roxas Boulevard especially during the Simbang Gabi (December 16-24), Metro Manila Film Festival Parade of Stars (December 23), the Feast of the Black Nazarene (January 9), the Papal visit (January 15-19),  and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (meetings will be held from December 2014 to November 2015).

 

Meanwhile, Ernesto Ordoñez, co-chairperson of the PC-MWG and former Trade undersecretary, said they have no specific timetable on how long the moratorium should be in effect, saying they only want it "until the situation normalizes."

 

Ordoñez acknowledged that the truck ban was done with good intentions but said there is a need to open Roxas Boulevard to trucks during the holidays.

 

He added that too many new policies have been implemented at the same time which seemed to have worsened the port congestion problem instead of easing it. "Too much of a good thing can also be bad," he commented.

 

Peña supported this statement by lauding the government's "stop smuggling campaign," the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board's (LTFRB) policy on setting a 15-year age limit for trucks, and others.

 

However, he said a more concerted effort from the government is needed because some policies, such as the LTFRB ruling on truck age, hae worsened the situation at the Port of Manila.

 

Peña said the LTFRB regulation keeps 70 percent of roadworthy trucks off roads, hindering the flow of goods, and dampening the Philippine economy.

 

Roxas Boulevard truck ban

 

According to information provided by the PC-MWG, out of some estimated 6,000 trucks that use the port daily, about 2,000 pass through Roxas Boulevard.

 

Rina Papa of the Alliance of Concerned Truck Owners and Organizations (ACTOO) said the closure of Roxas Boulevard is forcing trucks to reroute to narrower streets, causing a delay of four to five hours in delivery time.

 

Papa also pointed out how most people overlook that the problem is "two-fold" because truckers not only have to deliver goods from the Port of Manila but also return empty container vans to the same port so that manufacturers abroad can restock these. 

 

However, Papa said the truck ban was affecting not just truckers because investors and businessmen  who are losing money and ordinary people who have to pay a higher price for goods are the "ultimate victims" of the scheme.

Aside from lifting the truck ban, the PC-MWG also recommended providing an area for "empties" or empty containers parked at the port, streamlining the accreditation process for importers.
 

The group said simplifying the process for securing a provisional Import Clearance Certificate (ICC) will help in a speedier flow of trade, they said.

 

They also called for a moratorium on the policy to keep old trucks off the road. The PC-MWG said this regulation has curtailed the Philippines' trucking capacity by 70 percent.

They said public consultations are needed to determine the feasibility of LTFRB's plans. —  JDS, GMA News