Container monitoring policy to hit ‘balikbayan’ boxes, says AISL chief

THE chief of the Association of International Shipping Lines (AISL) said balikbayan boxes from migrant Filipinos will also be affected by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) policy on container monitoring.

AISL President Patrick Ronas told reporters on the sidelines of a press briefing held in Pasay City last Friday that 90 percent of goods brought into the country are carried by ships.

“Tatamaan din ‘yun kasi nakacontainer ‘yan e. Ang mangyayari kasi dito ‘yung mga balikbayan box operators, gumagalaw ‘yan via container, eh tataas ‘yung gastos ng broker o balikbayan box operator dahil papasok itong [Trusted Operator Program-container Registry Monitoring System] TOP-CRMS,” he said.

“Tataas din ‘yan so kawawa rin ‘yung OFW [overseas Filipino workers] natin dahil ‘yung mga pinapadala nila dito tataas din ‘yung gastos eh unsung heroes ‘yan eh ‘di ba nga sila ‘yung probidor ng dollar natin,” he added.

Last Friday, several trade groups called for the revocation of PPA Administrative Order (AO) No. 042021 or the proposed additional container monitoring system.

Ronas said they will be left with no other recourse but to pass on additional logistics costs resulting from the policy to key players in the supply chain.

Business group said the policy will “result in an almost 50 percent increase in the logistics cost of imported goods.”

They added that this will lead to a “staggering” additional annual import cost estimate of at least P35 billion.

AO 04-2021 prescribes the policy in the registration and monitoring of containers entering and leaving PPA ports including the scheduling, loading, unloading, release and movement of all containers.

The order applies to all containers originating from foreign ports that will be unloaded at government and/or private ports under the administrative jurisdiction of PPA. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/01/27/top-business-groups-back-protests-vsppa-order-no-4/).