RP makes it to
US Coast Guard list of ISPS-compliant states
THE Philippines is now International
Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code-compliant.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG)
recently came up with a list of 17 states not
compliant with the ISPS Code and subject to stringent
inspection and even rejection at US ports. The
list did not include the Philippines.
The 17 states which failed to update
or report their compliance rate with the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) as required by the
code are: Albania, Equatorial Guinea, Kiribati,
Madagascar, Nigeria, Solomon Islands, Benin, Guinea,
Lebanon, Mozambique, Serbia and Montenegro, Suriname,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia,
Nauru and Sierra Leone.
The Philippines was able to submit
its report to the IMO prior to the September 1
deadline.
The USCG earlier issued recommendations
for vessels calling ports of non-compliant countries
to protect them from "contamination".
These include setting a higher security condition
in keeping with the USCG vessel security plans,
executing a declaration of security that details
specific security arrangements between the vessel
and the port facility, and logging their actions
and reporting those actions to the Coast Guard
Captain or the port prior to arrival in the US.
The USCG said the recommendations
will be used when making a decision about boarding
and other port state control actions.
The agency said it will issue another
list by November 9 which will include a new port
security advisory that will warn all vessels arriving
at US ports from non-compliant countries of additional
security measures.
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P273.49M port
projects completed in 1st half
The Philippine Ports Authority
(PPA) recently reported the completion of five
locally funded port projects amounting to P273.49
million during the first semester of the year.
These are the P87.26-million reclamation
and widening of causeway in the port of Tubigon
II; P35.69-million reclamation with roll-on/roll-off
(ro-ro) on fill in Malangas; and P15.84-million
extension of reinforced concrete (R.C.) pier and
construction of ro-ro ramp in Roxas.
Also completed were the P75.04
million and P59.66 million extensions of R.C.
wharf in Puerto Princesa and Coron, respectively.
On top of the completed port projects,
the port agency reported 16 port developments
are ongoing, which, as of the first six months,
have already reached a cost of P1.33 billion.
Among these are the construction and development
of the country's major gateways such as the ports
of Davao, General Santos, Iloilo and the North
Harbor in Manila.
PPA said the construction of a
transit shed in Davao port is already 53.97% complete.
It noted the port project is being held up by
the ejectment case against warehouse operator
MINTERBRO, which operates in the area.
"MINTERBRO has been directed
to vacate the premises while PPA has to pay a
sum of P2.72 million as compensation for the warehouse,"
the port agency disclosed. It added the project
is expected to be completed by the end of September.
The reefer stack structure and
the power house project in Davao III has also
been extended due to additional items of work
requested by the Port Management Office of Davao.
The same project is ongoing in the port of General
Santos.
Meanwhile, the improvement of Iloilo
river wharf is already 50.13% complete and ahead
by 15.14%. Total expenses have reached P33.38
million.
PPA said the Marine Slipway berth
improvement at the North Harbor is 90.32% complete
with a positive slippage of 5.74%. Total expenses
for the project have reached P416.15 million.
PPA assistant general manager for
Special Projects and Corporate Affairs Raul T.
Santos said phase I of the North Harbor is expected
to be completed by year-end. He said the port
agency will bid out the operation of the terminal
to cargo handlers.
According to him, the agency is
awaiting comments of the PPA Board technical working
group on the draft of the Terms of Reference and
Bidding Documents for consolidation and approval
of the PPA Board.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Manila
North Harbor Modernization project is still hanging
as the PPA has to consider various concerns of
those affected by the project, Santos said.
Also in the process of completion
are the ports of Abra de Ilog (P21.61 million);
Caticlan (P2.96 million); Dalahican (P141.98 million);
Dapitan (P75.89 million); Dumangas (P58.93 million);
Larena (P61.53 million); Nasipit (P76.86 million);
Pagadian (P1.45 million); Pantao (59.51 million);
Pasacao (P29.21 million); Pola (P8.78 million);
and Pulupandan (P277.47 million).
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DMAP,
DLSU-GSB partner for logistics management course
The Distribution Management Association
of the Philippines (DMAP) recently signed a Memorandum
of Agreement (MOA) with the De La Salle University-Graduate
School of Business for the creation of a new logistics
management course.
DLSU-GSB dean Phillip Juico with
vice dean Tristan Macapanpan and DMAP president
Ana Rose S. Ochoa facilitated the signing during
the DMAP 2004 Logistics Conference at the Edsa
Shangri-La Hotel.
DMAP public relations officer and
director John Guillermo said the program was created
in line with the association's charter, which
aims to educate and develop the distribution profession
in the Philippines.
Ochoa said the program will provide
a venue for the exchange of ideas and keep industry
players abreast with technology. "This will
also provide education opportunities to mold our
logistics managers to be globally competent,"
she stressed.
Initially, the program will be
offered as a diploma course composed of six modules
(18 units), each one with a certificate. Units
get Masteral in Business Administration credits.
The first module, on Logistics
and the Supply Chain, covers an introduction in
inventory planning, warehousing, transportation,
purchasing and customer service and order processing;
measuring supply chain performance financial logistics;
issues and challenges in supply chain management;
third party integration; and global supply chain.
The second module will focus on
Transportation and Distribution Management and
its role in the supply chain. This will provide
students with a comprehensive knowledge on transportation
covering costing, performance, transport planning,
local setting, directions and policies.
Module three will tackle inventory
planning and control, specifically the different
tools and metrics of planning. The remaining modules
include World-Class Warehouse Management, Material
Handling and Inventory Management; Supply Chain
Information System and Strategic Purchasing and
Procurement Management.
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Bright future awaits
logistics managers
THE future of logistics managers
is bright. This is according to Ma. Teresa Ruiz,
Zuellig Pharma Corporation vice president for
Human Resources, at the recently concluded Distribution
Management Association of the Philippines (DMAP)
2004 Logistics Conference held at the Edsa Shangri-La
Hotel.
"In ten years, manufacturing will not be
here anymore. The Philippines will be a logistics
country, meaning, the demand for logistics managers
will be higher in the coming years. The future
for logistics managers is much brighter than those
in the manufacturing," she said.
Ruiz stressed globalization, outsourcing,
competitive and cost pressures, technology and
process innovation place ever increasing demands
on distribution and logistics managers. The ability
to successfully manage these business challenges
requires a high level of managerial capability,
she added.
"Logistics managers must learn
how to do their job in the context of all challenges.
Managers must drive for efficiency to keep abreast
with the rapid technology changes," she pointed
out.
For her part, Kraft Foods Philippines,
Inc. Logistics director Lulu S. Guzman said the
evolution of the supply chain is brought about
by new customers in emerging markets, enhanced
customer responsiveness and competitive edge via
technology.
Also, with the reduction in trade
barriers due to agreements like the ASEAN Free
Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization,
manufacturing companies are determined to produce
products at their lowest.
"The challenge now is on the
logistics people -moving products from place to
place as efficiently as possible to maintain the
products' value," she explained.
She also urged companies to invest
heavily on the competency of their logistics and
distribution managers with the changing supply
chain landscape.
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52 carriers to
use Clark airport upon completion
FIFTY-TWO international carriers
have expressed interest in using the Diosdado
Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark,
Pampanga, according to Transportation and Communications
Secretary Leandro M. Mendoza.
In an interview, he said the department
has already released the airlines' corresponding
landing rights through the Civil Aeronautics Board
(CAB) in preparation for the airport's nearing
completion.
Despite the landing rights, Mendoza admitted the
carriers have yet to fly to Clark due to inadequate
facilities at the DMIA. The airport is currently
undergoing development and modernization under
a medium-term plan.
"They (airlines) still cannot
land in Clark because there are no sufficient
facilities there and it is not yet that accessible
to Manila. By November we're going to open the
North Luzon Expressway," he said.
He added the Department of Transportation
and Communications (DOTC) is also fast tracking
the construction of the North Rail, expected to
be completed in two to three years.
The immediate expansion of Clark
to meet international standards will be implemented
in two phases. Phase I is expected to be completed
in two years at a cost of about P2 billion.
Manila International Airport Authority
(MIAA) general manager Alfonso Cusi stressed the
project will not be financed by loans but by internally
generated funds and support from concerned agencies.
Once it becomes fully operational,
Clark International Airport aims to attract low-cost
airlines carrying tourists and businessmen to
the area. It will also open the airport to and
from the Middle East, carrying overseas Filipino
workers (OFWs) from Central and Northern Luzon,
and the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR).
This project is in line with the
Arroyo Administration's intention to decongest
Metro Manila and spur economic activity in the
countryside.
Mendoza also said other regional
airports would be built in three other provinces
in the country: Panglao in Bohol; Busuanga in
Coron, Palawan; and San Fernando in La Union.
These will be completed in six years.
Mendoza said the government will
not borrow funds to build Panglao and Busuanga
airports, which cost P2 billion each. The construction
of Panglao airport would be supported by the Philippine
Tourism Authority while the Busuanga airport would
be financed by Palawan's dividends from earnings
of the Malampaya natural gas exploration.
Funding for the San Fernando airport
has yet to be determined because of the incomplete
project study.
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