Customs orders mandatory
weighing of veggies, fruits
THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has ordered the mandatory
magna scale weighing of all shipments of vegetables,
fruits and nuts prior to release from Customs custody.
The mechanism will help identify the true weight
of such importation, thus ensuring proper collection
of duties and taxes on the shipments, according to
Customs Memorandum Circular No. 8-2004.
BOC earlier said there are shipments whose declared
weight is less than their corresponding net weight
range, determined on the size of container used. Among
the covered commodities are onions (dry and reefer),
Chinese groundnuts, garlic (dry and reefer), mongo
beans, white kidney beans, ginger, carrots, broccoli,
potato, apples, pears, lychee, pomelo, longans, ponkan,
grapes, mandarin and oranges.
After the shipment is weighed, taxes and duties will
be re-computed on the basis of the weighing report
and the magna scale weighing ticket.
The Formal Entry Division will verify whether a shipment
is subject to mandatory magna scale weighing and ensure
that the subject shipment is properly weighed. A Customs
officer will personally supervise the weigh-in process.
A monthly report of all shipments weighed will be
submitted to the Commissioner.
The assessment report must specify the entry number,
consignee, description of imported items, gross weight,
net weight, magna scale weighing ticket, duties and
taxes, additional duties and taxes, and the remarks.
DONGNAMA Line will soon launch a new direct weekly
service from Manila to Laem Chabang and Bangkok, Thailand.
Romy C. Ordas, executive vice president of Uni-ship,
Inc., the Philippine agent of Dongnama, said the "TJS"
or Thailand-Japan Service will pass through Bangkok,
three ports in Japan (Osaka, Moji and Hakata), Korea
and finally, Manila.
It is the very first direct service from Manila
to Thailand. Others sail via Hong Kong or Singapore.
Ordas said the TJS is in response to growing cargo
volume from Korea to Manila, and Thailand's high demand
for containers.
At present, the company has only one service from
Korea to Manila. "We know that the Thai economy is
exhibiting growth as seen from the cargo demand.
(The Philippines') export volume to Bangkok, for
instance, averages 13,500 twenty-foot equivalent units
(TEU) per annum. We want a modest share of that market,"
he pointed out.
One vessel will be deployed on the TJS, sailing
into Manila every Friday. Sailing to Manila is on
the same day. Transit time is four days for a Tuesday
arrival in Laem Chabang.
The service began in Laem Chabang, then proceeded
to Bangkok on April 6. The vessel is now on its way
to Japan and will pass through Korea before reaching
Manila on April 23.
Ordas said the service - an alliance with Mitsui
OSK Lines - may net a weekly shipment of about 70
TEUs from all covered ports of call, with Manila to
Laem Chabang accounting for 45-50 TEUs.
The Korean line's initial campaign has already resulted
in a number of bookings. "We are very happy that we
already got responses.
On the prospect of 45 TEUs, we now have almost half
of that and we still have a week to promote the service,"
he said.
THE Roxas-Caticlan link of the Strong Republic Nautical
Highway (SRNH) is exhibiting a tenfold growth, especially
with the surge of travelers to major tourist destinations
in the Visayas region.
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) reported the
volume of vehicles passing through the link from March
to the first few weeks of April ranged from 1,700
to 1,800. "This is about more than ten times of the
volume handled during April last year when the link
was inaugurated.
That was only about 160 vehicles," a source from
PPA said. From December 2003 to January this year,
the total number of rolling cargoes reached 2,800
- by far the highest recorded since the introduction
of the SRNH.
The port authority said these months are considered
peak due to the Christmas season.
The Roxas-Caticlan link serves as the indicator of
the volume of travelers traversing Luzon and Visayas.
It is also the link nearest the country's major tourist
spot, Boracay Island.
There are three shipping operators servicing the
link: Montenegro Shipping Lines, Starlite and PhilHarbor.
They offer six trips daily.
Recently, the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)
facilitated the launching of Phil Harbor's Maharlika
VII to service the Roxas-Caticlan link. The vessel
can accommodate up to 30 buses.
PPA general manager Alfonso Cusi said most of the
ports and terminals being developed, especially those
connected to the Road Ro-Ro Terminal System, (RRTS)
are "demand-driven". "We create the gateways for commerce.
We provide the facilities and infrastructure based
on the natural flow of traffic," he noted, adding
PPA would welcome as many shipping operators in each
ro-ro ports as this would translate to higher revenues.
SEAIR targets international
market; BIMP-EAGA first on expansion list
LOCAL airline company South East Asian Airlines
(Seair) is planning an overseas expansion starting
with the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East
Asian Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
The company has already secured a five-year secondary
permit from the Civil Aeronautics Board, said Seair
vice president for Corporate Affairs Bernard D. Bandonell
at the sidelines of Seair's seaplane world tour launch.
"Last April 5, we had a signing with the CAB.
That permit will allow us to fly international destinations,"
he noted. Sandakan, Malaysia leads Seair's list of
target overseas destinations, Bandonell said. Two
78-seater jet planes for delivery in October will
be used for international routes. Five others are
scheduled for delivery before 2005.
The company, founded and chaired by Capt. Iren Dornier,
grandson of German aircraft pioneer Claudius Dornier,
has been operating in the country for nine years.
Over the years, the company has grown tenfold from
a once-a-day air transport company.
Aries Magpantay, Seair finance director, said the
company has been growing 30% yearly since its establishment.
This year, the company expects to increase revenues
40%. Seair's fleet is composed of nine 19-seater LET-410
and 12-seater Dornier 28 aircraft for scheduled flights
to 23 domestic destinations in the country, including
Palawan, Boracay in Aklan and Romblon, its newest
destination.
The seaplane world tour uses the Dornier 24 ATT,
a restored 1930s flying boat used during World War
II for rescue operations. It left Manila last week
on a course that will take it to 60 countries in eight
and a half months.
The tour celebrates 100 years of aviation, promotes
the Philippines as a world-class tourist destination,
and will raise funds for education and for awareness
of the United Nations International Children's Fund.
Upon its return to Manila in December, the vintage
seaplane will be used by Seair to serve five-star
resorts in the country, including Club Noah and some
resorts in Boracay. It will also be available for
charter at a cost of about $2,000 per hour, said Magpantay.
"The seaplane will be used to service primarily the
high-end market to exclusive resorts in the country.
There are no immediate plans to fly international
with the seaplane on commercial basis although we
are not discounting the possibility of using it to
charter select clients to international shores," Seair
Director Nikos Gitsis said in a statement.
Seair is the first domestic airline to use a seaplane.
The 10-seater seaplane is equipped with leather interiors,
TV monitors, a bar and a kitchen and a special two-seater
observation area dubbed as the "love dome" which offers
a 360-degree view while the plane is in flight. The
plane was also modified to have more powerful turbine
engines and new technology wings and landing gear.
The aircraft, which was pulled out from the Deutsch
Museum in Munich, was brought to the Philippines in
2003 for restoration as a luxury aircraft.
APL wins Baxter Healthcare's
Supplier of the Year Award for record 12th year
APL was named Supplier of the Year 2003 by Baxter
Healthcare SA (Singapore Branch) at a recent awards
ceremony in Singapore, giving APL an unbroken record
since the service category was introduced in 1991
. Said Ong Eng Chye, General Manager of Baxter Healthcare
SA (Singapore Branch), "APL continues to surpass our
expectations year after year, delivering superior
performance and quality service.
We view our suppliers as an extension of our own
processes, and rely on business partners such as APL
for that added value to help us maintain our competitive
edge." Baxter's annual awards recognize the performance
excellence of its business partners in providing quality
products and services.
Suppliers are assessed on quality, delivery and service
performance throughout the year, including equipment
condition, documentation, equipment and space availability,
transit time, documentation delivery, customer service
accessibility, competitiveness, and responsiveness
and commitment. "We are pleased to have won the Baxter
award for the 12th year running," said Goh Hung Song,
APL Singapore managing director.
"Our aim is to continue to provide excellent customer
service and we continually invest in our customer
support and information technology services to help
our customers better manage and grow their business,"
he added.
