THE Philippine Ports
Authority (PPA) reported a 54.80% or P1.03 billion
reduction in net income for 2003. The drop was attributed
to higher expenses totaling P4.555 billion, up 30.571%
or P1.07 billion from 2002. Total expenses were, however,
still below last year's target by about P43.97 billion.
The port agency said
expenses ballooned through a combination of factors:
effects of losses on loan revaluation, increase in
the number of employees, higher monetization of leave
credits, rice allowance adjustment, payment of awards
and indemnities, and higher taxes and supplies paid.
PPA posted a meager growth in gross revenue for the
year - from P5.362 billion in 2002 to P5.401 billion
last year or a 0.74% rise. This was due to higher
remittances by International Container Terminal Services,
Inc. (ICTSI) of P1,756.13 million, bouyed by container
traffic growth of 5.32% and the impact of foreign
exchange rate in the North Harbor operator's remittances.
PPA said the lower level of investible funds overshadowed
the increase in port revenues for the period.
Of the total revenues,
52.58% or P2.840 billion were from combined operations
of government and private ports, 32.51% or P1.756
billion from ICTSI remittances, 10.11% or P546.29
million from Asian Terminals Inc., and 4.80% or P259.16
million from fund management income. Revenue exceeded
the target by 1.57%. "This is a result of the positive
deviation in the projected and actual foreign exchange
rates which somehow cushioned the impact of the negative
variance between the actual and projected non-dollar
denominated revenue and operational traffic at the
ports," the port agency said. PPA said it saw higher
revenues even as it implemented measures that slashed
income.
Early last year, for
instance it announced the suspension of a five-year
tariff increase on domestic traffic. It also implemented
the universal percentage government share on cargoes
in November 2002.
PISM
intensifies campaign to educate SCM practitioners
THE Philippine Institute
for Supply Management (PISM), formerly known as the
Purchasing and Materials Management Association of
the Philippines (PMMAP), kicks off its two-day conference
tomorrow at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
With the theme "… strengthening
alliances… building linkages… renewing relationships",
the conference is one of PISM's efforts to further
professionalize the business by providing continuing
education to supply chain management practitioners.
The conference will allow
participants to benchmark, expand their network, and
learn about international best practices amid the
backdrop of the e-business and e-procurement revolution,
said PISM president president Miraluz C. Tan in an
interview with PortCalls. "More and more companies,
if not all, are embarking on the so-called electronic
way of doing business. PISM, therefore, has to do
its part in information dissemination and strengthening
supplier-purchaser relationships," she explained.
"PISM cuts across all industries. Practitioners must
go beyond their boundaries, keep abreast of every
information, including current market conditions [fluctuation,
tariff impact, liberalization, barriers coming down]
and stay on the professional level," Tan, also an
executive of Nestle Philippines, said.
On top of conducting
seminars, the association grants scholarships for
undergraduate students as well as those taking diploma
courses on purchasing and supply management. The association
collaborates with the University of Makati for the
undergraduate course B.S.C. Major in Purchasing and
Supply Management and with De La Salle University,
College of St. Benilde for the diploma course. "This
is a first in the Philipines. Our scholarship program
started in June 2002 and we will have the first batch
of graduates this March," Tan said. PISM is tapping
two more institutions for the program.
To date, PISM has close
to 300 member companies from various industries in
Metro Manila, with six chapters nationwide. It is
also an affiliate of the International Federation
of Purchasing and Materials Management based in the
Netherlands and an allied member of the Institute
for Supply Management in Arizona.
PPA
puts stop to six nearly complete port projects
THE Philippine Ports
Authority (PPA) suspended last year six ports projects,
three of which are considered substantially complete.
The three are the construction
and reclamation of the reinforced concrete (RC) wharf
at the port of Dumangas, the RC pier extension and
roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) ramp construction at the
Roxas port, and the reclamation and additional back-up
area at the Pasacao port.
PPA said the almost
98% complete Roxas port project was suspended due
to the proposed supplemental agreement covering breasting
dolphin and construction of breakwater. The Pasacao
port project was also covered by a supplemental agreement
relative to the widening and extension of the RC pier,
additional reclamation area and construction of breakwater
for improvement of port facilities.
The other three suspended
projects were the construction of a transit shed in
Davao (42.62% complete), Dapitan port extension (76.35%
complete) and Nasipit RC wharf extension project (2.22%
complete). PPA said the Nasipit project was suspended
pending results of soil investigation and test piles
while the construction of the transit shed in Davao
was hampered by the unresolved detainer case filed
against occupants of the existing building to be demolished.
Meanwhile, six projects
are already undergoing post qualification and ready
for implementation. These are the Pagadian reclamation
and extension of R.C. wharf, caticlan port development,
Pola-Pola port development, General Santos reefer
rack structure and power house, Cagayan de Oro wharf
extension and port of Abra de Ilog development project.
