Manila’s international container terminals will activate by mid-March two additional functions under the Terminal Appointment Booking System (TABS)—the points payment system and the terminal grace period.
Under the points payment scheme, slots booked through TABS will be paid in points starting March 14, according to TABS developer 1-Stop Connections Pty. Ltd. project manager Suhail Falak in a briefing on February 10.
One point is equivalent to P1. Points may be bought online, over-the-counter at banks and at non-banks.
The number of points to be paid will depend on the zone to be booked, of which there are three: zero-demand zone (transaction is free of charge); medium-demand zone (transaction requires 300 points to book); and high-demand zone (requires 1,000 points).
Zone times, which are currently fixed, are based on historical data of truck movements in the terminals. Thus, zero-demand zones are traditionally low peak times and high-demand zones have the heaviest truck movements.
In the same briefing, Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) client relations manager Erika Mari Ambrosio said there are more slots assigned under the zero-demand zone to encourage booking during this period, helping spread truck volume over 24 hours and ease traffic.
Points loading
Starting February 15, clients can top up or load their points system accounts, and must secure a minimum of 6,500 points equivalent to P6,500.
Booking transactions via TABS during the four-week transition period (from now until before March 14) are free of charge. On March 14, terminal operators will start debiting points when clients book in medium- or high-demand zones.
Ambrosio said double transactions (trucker/customer returns empty container then also pulls out either a laden or empty unit) will be free of charge to incentivize clients and maximize usage of trucks.
MICT and TABS co-implementer Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI), which operates the Manila South Harbor, have also agreed that from March 14, the booking time for imports will only be after receiving the Online Cargo Release System instruction, according to Ambrosio.
Currently, ATI allows booking after the gate pass has been issued, and MICT upon discharge of the vessel.
As for exports, the two terminal operators have agreed that booking can only be done after the pre-advisory notice is received from the shipping line, as is the current case. However, Ambrosio said they are working on merging the pre-advise system with TABS to give customs brokers the ability to pre-advise as well.
Cancelled bookings
Change in or cancellation of slots must be done 24 hours before the appointment. Points will not be refunded for a cancelled booking to avoid the problem of inadequate or unavailable slots, according to MICT commercial and risk assessment manager Christian Lozano. There have been instances of a client booking a slot but not showing up, depriving another potential user of that slot.
Lozano noted they had proposed that clients be allowed to cancel slots six or 12 hours before the appointment but that Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras had pushed for 24 hours prior.
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.
Ambrosio said late arrivals (two hours after a slot is booked) will, however, be fined P1,625. No shows, or those that arrive three hours or more past the appointment, will be fined P3,251. Ambrosio said the penalties are to ensure the system is not abused.
When there had been no penalties, there were reports some unscrupulous individuals booked numerous slots then sold them later.
Truck ban exemption starts March 1
Meanwhile, starting March 1, anyone “who has a TABS booking can already pass through any road in Metro Manila,” including Roxas Boulevard, according to Ambrosio.
The exemption from the truck ban of those with TABS booking was recently granted by the Metro Manila Council-Special Traffic Committee, a committee under the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
Ambrosio said that for morning appointments, trucks can ply Metro Manila roads without being apprehended two hours before the appointed slot and another two hours after gate out. In the afternoon, trucks have a 2.5-hour window before the appointed slot and another 2.5 hours after gate out to travel on roads unencumbered.
Some stakeholders, however, observed that such a window is not enough since some local government units (LGUs) have different truck ban policies while others are not even under the MMDA, such as Cavite, and thus not obligated to implement the truck ban exemption for TABS users.
Lozano said they will meet with MMDA officials on February 12 to try to seek an extension of the exemption hours and obtain commitment from other LGUs to adopt the truck ban exemption policy.
Ambrosio noted that once the strict implementation of TABS begins, the problems currently being experienced by stakeholders will be resolved and “what we intend is to achieve faster and efficient service time to trucks.” – Roumina Pablo
