If Manila’s truck ban policy is not lifted or remedial measures not implemented soon, prices of various commodities shipped from congested Manila ports to Mindanao, including Christmas holiday food items, will go up, feared businessmen in Mindanao.
Manuel Yaphockun, former president of the General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (GSCCCII), reported that a number of local businesses are starting to feel the impact of Manila’s truck ban through delays in the arrival of goods to the region.
“It now takes weeks for shipments from Manila to arrive here and the situation has so far affected the availability or supply of some vital goods,” specifically some imported hardware materials, Yaphockun said.
“This (truck ban) problem is not only affecting Manila and the neighboring areas but also us here in Mindanao,” he was quoted as saying by a regional publication.
Mainly affected are imported goods coming in through Manila’s South Harbor, one of the country’s international gateways, and those manufactured in Luzon and shipped out from the North Harbor, which caters to domestic shipping operations, Yaphockun said.
If the problem remains unresolved, it could eventually trigger significant increases in shipping and related costs, he warned. “Freight costs are going to go up and that means additional burden later on for our consumers.”
Yaphockun is urging the national government to set remedial measures to cushion the impact of the truck ban.
Raymund Salangsang, GSCCCII vice president, said the truck ban could later on affect the availability and prices of some Christmas holiday products, which includes ham, fruit cocktail, cheese and sandwich spreads, mayonnaise, queso de bola (edam cheese), pasta and spaghetti, elbow and salad macaroni, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, and creamer.
He said many of these products are either manufactured abroad or require imported ingredients, which must all pass through Manila ports and be checked by the Bureau of Customs before they are shipped to the domestic markets, Salangsang said.
“So we’re also affected (by the truck ban). It should be addressed decisively the soonest possible time by the national government before it affects the inflow of goods for the coming holidays,” Salangsang stated.
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