MANILA, Sept. 3 (PNA) — Malacanang has encouraged businessmen and shippers to use Subic and Batangas as alternative ports, as the government works on decongesting the Port of Manila within the next two weeks.
“Instead of shipping to Manila, they can actually use Subic and Batangas. Because right now, we cannot build another road into North Harbor, South Harbor, or it will take time to grow the capacity of the present facilities,” said Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras in a Palace press briefing on Wednesday.
Almendras said businessmen can avail of 90 percent discount on the fees in the two ports.
He said the Subic port can handle 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) a day.
“Well, as of this time, Subic is so underutilized… So we’re really encouraging that, you know, Manila is not the only port in the Philippines,” he noted.
Almendras further said the government has increased the cargo capacity of Batangas port.
“We’re happy that Batangas is now actually doing very well… So the total estimated volume of inflows or volume, ‘yung throughput that we’re looking at, can actually be handled by Manila-plus-Subic-plus-Batangas very easily,” he added.
At the Port of Manila, Almendras said the government expects to de-clog the port within the next two weekends with the implementation of new measures in a bid to move out 10,000 containers.
“If only we will move out the same volume of containers or TEUs on a Saturday night, on a Sunday, and on Monday morning, in two weekends, we will be able to de-clog the ports. That will allow us to accept more cargo and be more efficient in the handling of cargoes,” he said.
Almendras said starting September 8, overstaying cargoes will be transferred to Subic port.
“We’re gonna do it by — within the months of September and October in anticipation of the increased volume of imports that is coming in the last three months of the year,” he further said.
Almendras added that starting October 1, all cargoes cleared by port authorities that fail to pull out within five days will be charged a fine of P5,000 a day.
“Let’s utilize Saturday night, Sunday whole day and Monday morning to move cargo out,” he said. (PNA)