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Philippine Ports Authority has included in the Manila International Container Terminal revised schedule of cargo-handling tariff a P5,000 fine on trucks entering the terminal without valid business
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PPA inserted the fine in Memorandum Circular No. 11-2023 pursuant to PPA MC 07-2023, which says the fine will “promote efficient use of roads and speed up entry into the terminal”
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MC 07-2023 takes effect on August 17
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The fine will be shouldered by the truck driver and/or the trucking company and cannot be passed on to the shipper/consumer
A P5,000 fine for trucks entering Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) without a valid transaction is now part of the terminal’s revised schedule of cargo-handling tariff.
The revised schedule is contained in Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) Memorandum Circular No. 11-2023. The circular is in keeping with PPA MC 07-2023, which provides the unauthorized entry fine approved by the PPA Board to “promote the efficient use of the roads and speed up entry into the terminal.” MC 07-2023 takes effect on August 17.
The fine is not exactly new; previously it went by the name “pass thru fee”. But this is the first time the fine is included in the cargo-handling tariff.
Under MC No. 07-2023, the unauthorized entry fine will be shouldered by the truck driver and/or the trucking company, and not passed on to the shipper/consumer.
During a February 10 public hearing on the fine, MICT management services and government affairs director Voltaire Wycoco said the fine is a charge levied on a security incident committed by truckers, including unauthorized access to the port facility or entry of trucks without legitimate transactions.
He said the fine is avoidable, noting that only nine or 0.23% of the average 3,803 trucks per day that entered MICT in January 2023 incurred the fine, while 3,794 or 99.77% of trucks were compliant.
Based on these numbers, the MICT official said the imposition of the fine is an “effective deterrent” to non-compliance.
He added that the fine aims to promote efficient use of roads and speed up entry into the terminal, noting that sending back no-transaction trucks is difficult and usually causes traffic. This is especially so because Isla Puting Bato (IPB) road, the main artery for MICT transactions, has been a one-way road since August 2019.
He said the fine also fulfils International Container Terminal Services Inc.’s responsibility as a government contractor in complying with provisions of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code and port facility security plan. ICTSI operates MICT.
According to MICT data from October 2022 to January 2023, the majority of violations are no pre-advise, no Terminal Appointment Booking System (TABS) booking, and other security violations.
Of the total number of violations, Wycoco said, 65.77% were committed by members of the Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines (CTAP), 31.31% by members of the Alliance of Concerned Truck Owners and Organizations, 1.68% by Haulers and Truckers Association in the Watersouth Inc., and the rest by companies and independent truckers.
During the February hearing, CTAP president Maria Zapata blamed heavy traffic for truckers arriving late at MICT leading to expiration of their pre-advise or TABS booking. – Roumina Pablo
