Sen. Risa Hontiveros during one of the Senate interpellations. Senate PRIB file photo / Bibo Nueva España
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros filed Senate Resolution No. 484, calling for an inquiry in aid of legislation into increased logistics costs in the Philippines caused by rising port fees and other charges.
“These administrative orders are causing distress not only to the shipping operators but also to ordinary consumers. An increase in shipping costs poses a risk of further raising already burdensome pricing and inflation,” Hontiveros said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This may affect how importers price their products. And in the end, it is the general public who will be hit by the biggest blow. Hindi ito dapat hayaang pasanin ng ating mga konsyumer na iniinda pa rin ang mataas na presyo ng bilihin at pamasahe,” she added.
(We should not allow our consumers to shoulder this as they suffer from high prices of commodities and fares.)
Hontiveros cited administrative orders about granting port terminal management contracts to bidders with the highest concession price, implementing a “Central Ticketing System,” increase in garbage collection fees and creating a mechanism for registration and monitoring of containers entering and exiting ports.
The senator also noted that industry and trade organizations are worried that direct charges for registration and monitoring of containers in the ports would push import costs by over 50 percent.
The largest shipping group in the country, the Philippine Coastwise Shipping Association (PCSA), said that the Philippine Ports Authority policies resulted in “an increase in port charges within the country as much as 2,000 percent, thus increasing domestic logistics costs to the detriment of the public.”
The PCSA asked the Department of Transportation to review the award of port terminal management contracts, causing the supposed increase of charges in key ports.
Document: Senate Resolution No. 484: