By Jelly F. Musico
MANILA, Sept. 10 (PNA) — Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Gregory Domingo on Wednesday said the port congestion will continue until January next year due to the expected increase in the arrival of containers starting September to December.
”Now that we are in the ‘ber’ months, the volume of arrivals of containers has increased. It is difficult to reduce the port congestion. All we can hope for is really optimize it so as not to hamper movement of goods,” Domingo said during the Senate budget hearing.
Domingo said he expects the port of Manila to be decongested during the first quarter of 2015 which he described as ‘lean’ months.
”During the lean season in the first quarter of next year, we can clear a lot of the congestion the port of Manila,” the DTI official told the Senate finance committee panel member Senators Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV.
Domingo said from the high 81,000 containers which remain untouched inside the port of Manila, the number has reduced to only 78,000 despite setting up exclusive lanes for trucks in some major roads in Metro Manila.
”We’re doing 9,000 trips during weekdays but the problem now is that there are more containers being brought in than being taken out,” he explained.
”Let’s say we unloaded 4,000 containers but we will load 3,000 only. So that’s additional 1,000 containers per day. We have to talk again with shipping lines,” he added.
Domingo said the government offices have started operating even during weekends but the number of containers being brought out during Saturdays and Sundays remain low due to lack of trucks operated by the private companies.
”If we can make the operations seven days a week, that very critical. If we’re able to use the additional 20 percent, that will solve almost all of our problems,” he explained.
Domingo presented the DTI’s proposed Php4.079 billion budget for 2015 that the panel submitted for plenary consideration and approval despite failure of the DTI officials to explain some questions from Escudero.
Escudero particularly questioned the breakdown of the Php36 million allotted for Region 8 while other regions like 7, 9 and 10 got only Php20 million.
”Please submit to us the breakdown of these funds allotted per region. Where these funds will be used. I’m just trying to random check,” Escudero told the DTI officials. (PNA)