The Philippine Society of Filipino Customs Brokers, Inc. (PSFCBI) is requesting government to discontinue the Terminal Appointment Booking System (TABS) program, claiming it has led to cargo delays and additional costs.
In a letter to Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras dated February 18 signed by national president Roberta Riga, PSFCBI said it is “in full support of the government’s thrust towards a more efficient and world-class customs and port services that will truly bring better and world-class trade facilitation in the country.”
Customs brokers had initially thought that through TABS, they would be given “a 24-hour opportunity to bring in or get out our shipment from the two main ports in Manila in a shorter lead time (than) ever,” the organization said.
TABS is an electronic platform for booking containers at Manila South Harbor and Manila International Container Terminal, specifically developed to minimize road traffic and prevent container build-ups. The Manila port operators said TABS will ensure a more organized flow of containerized cargoes in and out of the terminals while providing real-time information on container status. The system has been in effect since October 2015.
Problems with TABS
PSFCBI said that upon consultation with customs brokers and customs brokers’ organizations through the Chamber of Customs Brokers Inc, they found “the implementation of TABS is contrary to its aim of providing better trade facilitation because problems with regards to booking were continuously experienced.”
These hardships, the organization said, include difficulty in booking, which in turn leads to delivery delays of cargo; additional costs and expenses for storage and demurrage due to the prolonged stay at the port; and non-transparency in the number of slots available for booking.
The group appealed to Almendras, who had sat as the chair of the Committee on Port Congestion that worked to resolve the Manila port congestion in 2014, “to discontinue the implementation of TABS due to these additional burdens to importers, customs brokers, and truckers in terms of financial and business timeline aspects.”
Truck ban exemption
Moreover, PSFCBI said they are not after the exemption from the truck ban, as their truckers have already adjusted their delivery system to synchronize with the truck bans implemented in cities they pass through.
Trucks with TABS bookings are exempt from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s truck ban starting March 1.
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PSFCBI also raised fears “the flaws of the booking system may give rise to another form of corruption at the ports.” It did not elaborate.
It added they “believe that if the identified problems have been given solution and the booking system has been customized to adapt to Manila cargo traffic setting, we could have better trade facilitation.”
Manila international port operators will start strict implementation of TABS on March 14, including the points payment system and gate grace period.
READ: PH online truck booking points payment scheme to start by mid-March
Under the points payment scheme, slots booked through TABS will be paid in points starting March 14. One point is equivalent to P1.
The terminal grace period feature of TABS will also start on March 14. Trucks will not be penalized if they arrive one hour before or one hour after their booked slot. – Roumina Pablo
Image courtesy of khunaspix at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
