Aduana Business Club, Inc. (ABCI) will stage a rally on November 9 in protest of the implementation of the container booking system and the proposed truck registration at the Bureau of Customs.
In a press conference on November 4, ABCI said they will stage a rally at Gate 3 in front of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Building in Port Area. They have also requested their member customs brokers and truckers to refrain from lodging entries and accepting deliveries on November 9.
The group called the implementation of the Terminal Appointment Booking System (TABS), specifically at the Manila South Harbor operated by Asian Terminals Inc (ATI), a “failure.”
TABS is an online system that enables port stakeholders to select the time slots for delivering and withdrawing cargoes. ATI along with Manila North Harbor operator International Container Terminal Services, Inc began implementing the system on October 1.
ABCI said despite shipments being ready for loading, they are “delayed when there is no available slot for booking under the system.” Members of the group noted it takes days before an appointment is secured, delaying just-in-time shipments of importers.
The group alleged some South Harbor clients are being given slots despite not having booked a TABS appointment. There are also claims the system favors multinational or big companies with high number of shipments.
The group said there is no transparency in the implementation of TABS since customs brokers and truckers “have no way of ascertaining” how slots are assigned plus “there is no list of slots assigned which should be made available to the public.”
In earlier TABS presentations to stakeholders, port operators noted that the number of allotted slots per hour or “zone” was determined based on historical data of truck movements in terminals but that this can be adjusted depending on the demand. Port operators said they expected some glitches during the first few months of implementation.
ABCI also claimed “there is no system in the assignment of the container yard for the return of empty containers” in South Harbor. Despite having an appointment, empty containers being returned to the port are then “given instructions to deliver to container yard outside the port,” it added.
The group is requesting the adoption of a shipping line pre-advise system that will identify where containers will be returned, whether in the port or outside.
In addition, it is asking ATI to book in advance shipments that have already been issued gate passes.
ABCI president Mary Zapata said they have already relayed their concerns to ATI but no action has been taken.
The group is also calling the attention of Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras who earlier announced that trucks with TABS appointments will be exempt from the truck ban imposed by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. Since the announcement, no other updates on this issue has been announced.
TABS at the South Harbor
In an emailed statement to PortCalls, ATI said “implementation of TABS at Manila South Harbor has delivered encouraging results.”
During its first month of implementation, the volume of truck transactions at South has increased by as much as 14% from the pre-TABS daily average of 1,500, “indicative of the success of the system”, according to the port operator.
It added that TABS “is a concrete solution to avoid the repeat of last year’s logistics gridlocks.”
“With the support and cooperation of all stakeholders, TABS is envisioned to further sustain a robust supply-chain,” ATI said.
The port operator noted that TABS “encourages greater transparency as bookings are done online by the end-users without the need for human intervention.”
ATI explained the end-user has control over the booking following three basic steps: logging in using a secure username and password and uploading container details into TABS; searching ample time slots best suitable for the withdrawal or delivery of containers by dragging and dropping these onto specific timeslots; and confirming the booking.
Complementary to TABS, ATI said it has developed online systems which enable customers to monitor real-time container status critical to efficient production cycles and helpful to cargo flow at Manila South Harbor. These systems include the Traffic Light System which indicates the availability of empty containers slots at the port based on allocation for shipping lines; the ATI Webtrack facility; and the recently launched MPort mobile app which allows customers to access real-time terminal information such as expected and actual time of vessel arrivals and departures, container track and trace, truck plate inquiry and cargo clearance notifications.
“All these initiatives have been put in place for the delivery of efficient and safe cargo handling services to customers, in support of the growing economy,” ATI said.
Truck registration at BOC
Meanwhile, ABCI is contesting the plan of the Customs commissioner Alberto Lina to accredit truckers starting next year.
ABCI said there is nothing under the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines that states the customs commissioner can regulate truckers. The group added that truckers already undergo numerous accreditation such as with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Land Transportation Office, local government units, port operators as well as with truckers’ organizations.
It said the BOC accreditation is just “added red tape to the trucking business.”
The group is also contesting the “inefficiency of shipping lines to manage the return of empty containers despite payment of fees of different nomenclature.”
The problem of prompt return of container deposit by shipping lines is a long-standing issue in the logistics community, with some stakeholders complaining that deposits are returned only after three months, sometimes more. – Roumina Pablo
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