Gov’t eyes ports in Subic, Batangas as new gateways

The government is considering more permanent solutions to ease congestion in Manila’s port area, including naming two nearby seaports as alternative gateways.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya said in an interview last week that discussions were headed in this area even as the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) last week ordered importers and brokers with “overstaying” Customs-cleared cargo to remove their containers or these would be transferred elsewhere.

“One suggestion was to designate a berth or a few berths in Subic as Manila,” Abaya said. “So if your bill of lading specifies Manila, it could be dropped off in Subic. [We are] likewise looking at Batangas possibly being designated as a Manila Port.”

Abaya said these options would give shipping companies and the government more flexibility in dealing with cargo traffic.

“Some [cargo] is dropped in Manila but is meant for Batangas. So I think we can make arrangements that it will go to Batangas [Port] instead. In the same way, those northbound, we could ask them to be designated to the Manila-Subic Port.”

It was also expected that overstaying cargo in Manila’s ports would be cleared by Sept. 8, otherwise the government would transfer these to either Subic or Batangas at the expense of the cargo owner, once the containers have been released.

The PPA earlier said that some importers were treating the Manila Port area as a “virtual warehouse.”

As of last week, there was a significant number of Customs-cleared cargo and containers with gate passes stacked up at the Manila ports. Customs-cleared containers are shipping crates, of which duties and taxes to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) had already been paid.

The owners of the containers only had to settle the cargo-handling fees before release. Customs-cleared cargo with gate pass refers to boxes that are still in storage even though the duties and taxes, as well as the cargo-handling fees, have been settled, PPA had said.

As of end-June, the number of laden containers piled up at the Manila ports totaled 85,000 TEUs, which was above the yard’s capacity, PPA said.