Truckers, customs brokers protest in Manila

Manila’s congested port (Photo: portcalls.com)

MANILA, Philippines –Members of the Alyansa ng Truckers at mga Organisasyon sa mga Puerto (ATOP), a gorup of truckers and Customs brokers, rallied in front of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Manila City Hall, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) yesterday to cry out against what they deem to be a lack of action towards alleviating congestion in Manila’s ports.

The demonstrators congregated at the Manila Cathedral and Rizal Park before making their way to the different government agencies.

The group’s manifesto stated: “The port congestion is a persistent problem that adds to our burden every year. This is caused by the new regulations in the port area. We are afraid that this would affect the country’s economy, further worsen the traffic in Metro Manila, and become a headache to businessmen in the country.”

The PPA announced last week that the Cabinet Cluster on Port Congestion has an 8-step plan to help resolve the problem.

Among such measures: the leasing of a 10-hectare lot situated in the complex of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) on which empty shipping containers can be temporarily stored; the release of 25 percent of weekday cargo volume during weekends, instead; transferring customs-cleared, overstaying cargo out of Manila’s port, and urging cargo owners to make use of alternative ports nearby, such as those in Batangas and Subic.

Business Club (ABC) president Mary Zapata, however, said that these reported efforts on the part of government have remained mere words and have yet to become reality.

Thus, nothing has – of the moment – been done towards the improvement of the situation.

“There has been no improvement. It is even worse, we can testify on that. We are not here to invent stories. These are just press releases, there is no realization yet. It has not been converted into action,” Zapata said.

She stressed that the PPA has not acted on the sitiation, “despite the fact that we have been paying fees to resolve this problem. We paid the terminal handling charge, port congestion surcharge and emergency recovery surcharge which is more or less $1,300 for a 40-footer container van.”

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Malasi of Powerlane Truckers, a member of ATOP, pointed out that the group is also decrying the reported corruption within the ATI.