BOC Iloilo: New port to boost import, export services

ILOILO City – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) - Port of Iloilo in Western Visayas expects the operations of the Iloilo Commercial Port Complex ( ICPC) by the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) will further boost their i mport and export services.

During the recent meeting with Mayor Jerry Treñas and several stakeholders, BOC-Iloilo District Collector Julius Premediles voiced confidence the redevelopment and operations of the new container terminal will enhance their operations, especially on import and export services.

Premediles said they are eager to serve international container arrivals through the new management of Visayas Container Terminal.

“We are ready to serve various international container arrivals directly to Iloilo from different economic hubs of the world,” said Premediles.

For 2024, the BOC reported almost half a billion pesos in revenues to government expenditures via the internal revenue allotment of various municipalities in the region.

The BOC in Western Visayas claimed to have surpassed the revenue target for January and February this year.

In the first quarter of 2023, the BOC Iloilo collected P446 million for March 2023 with 43.36 million, or a 10.77 percent increase compared to the month’s target revenue of P402.67 million.

Velma Lao, head of the city’s Business Process and Licensing Division ( BPLD), said the BOC – Port of Iloilo clarified during their meeting with Mayor Treñas and other stakeholders the latter is ready to receive containers from various countries to and from other countries in the Visayas Container Terminal, which has modern and state-of-theart equipment to carry out its functions.

“They have c on t r ol supervising containerized cargo and import and export movements of cargoes in Region 6. They also conduct prevention and suppression of smuggling and supervision of foreign vessels and aircraft,” said Lao.

She said the BOC Iloilo can approve and release two to three days upon completion of documents for containers.

The Razon- l ed port operator won the bidding for being the lone bidder after passing the technical and financial requirements, Jay Daniel Santiago, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) general manager, recently announced

The commercial port spans 627 meters of operational quay length and 20 hectares of land for container and general cargo storage, warehousing, and other cargo- handling activities. I t serves t he province of Iloilo and Panay Island in Western Visayas./