24/7 last mile routes for PH cargo trucks eyed

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Trucks_on_RoxasThe Philippine government will implement new measures to help further ease congestion at Manila ports as the peak shipping season rolls in, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr said in a press briefing.

Some of the measures have been previously announced by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), including eviction of overstaying Customs-cleared containers from Manila ports and their transfer to Subic or Batangas ports starting September 8. The cost of the transfer will be borne by the cargo owner.

All Customs-cleared cargoes that are not pulled out of Manila ports within the prescribed free five-day storage period will also be fined P5,000 a day from October 1. The measure is designed to discourage cargo owners from using ports as virtual warehouses.

Coloma said government is also considering 24-hour “last mile” routes for cargo trucks.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Francis Tolentino over the weekend said the Cabinet Cluster on Port Congestion was looking at the proposal to enable cargo trucks to operate outside truck ban hours.

The last mile is a phrase used to refer to the final leg of transportation from a transport hub (ports, for instance) to a specified destination. In the MMDA context, the last mile means movement of cargo trucks from Manila ports to warehouses.

“These last mile routes aim to help those trucks coming (from) Manila which are using the (24/7) express (trade) lanes to get to their warehouses in other parts of the metro like Sucat, Parañaque and destinations outside Metro Manila like Cavite and Laguna,” Tolentino said during the MMDA’s Sunday radio program.

Once they leave the 24/7 express trade lanes, the MMDA chief noted truckers are unable to deliver to warehouses because they face apprehension for violating the truck ban in other areas in the metropolis.

Tolentino said they are waiting for a list of warehouses to be provided by the PPA and the Bureau of Customs before the last mile routes can be mapped out, which could be temporarily imposed for two weeks this month.

“This will be a great help to the economy especially now that Christmas is approaching. We want to be able to clear the ports of cargo to prevent the price of goods from going up,” he said.