The Port of Manila (Manila International Container Terminal [MICT], South Harbor, North Port and Harbour Centre Port Terminals, Inc) and Tacloban port will be open for the entire duration of the Papal visit from January 15 to 19, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said.
South Harbor will, however, close on the afternoon of Jan 18 due to its close proximity to the Luneta Grandstand, where the Pope will hold mass, according to PPA.
Also closed from Jan 16 to 18 is the Bureau of Customs in MICT and the Port of Manila. Operations will resume operations on Jan 19.
Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said the five-day holiday will not “significantly hamper continuous efforts for the efficient operations of the Port of Manila.”
In a statement Almendras, who also heads the Cabinet Cluster on Port Congestion, said ports will fully operate “even if they will not be able to accept outbound cargoes as they will continue to unload ships and will load and move out empties to alleviate the extent of empty containers already in the country.”
He noted the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority confirmed there is “no such thing as a total truck ban” during the 5-day holiday and movement of trucks “will be allowed in the regular truck routes during the allowed hours, except routes that will be affected by the events of the Pope’s visit.
“The routes that will be temporarily closed will be re-opened when the events venue has been cleared,” he said.
PPA said it has advised stakeholders to take additional measures to reduce the commercial impact of the slowdown in operations to give way to security measures being put into place to guarantee Pope Francis’ safety during his visit.
“It will be business as usual for Philippine ports during the Papal visit but on a calibrated procedure as we need to align our operations to the security measures being implemented,” PPA general manager Atty Juan C. Sta. Ana said in a statement.
“While it is expected to crowd our ports, particularly all the Manila ports and the Tacloban baseport, during those days, we have to strike a balance between the Pope’s safety and the uninterrupted flow to travel and trade to and from the country,” Sta. Ana added.
He noted that MICT had already released their operational schedules as early as the end of last week, “so we encourage our stakeholders to also adjust their workflow according to the said arrangements.”
MICT said it will be fully operational and open to all transactions during the Papal visit and encourages users to pull out as many shipments as possible.
The North Port, the country’s largest domestic terminal, will be on full commercial operations from Jan 15-19. However, the Philippine Coast Guard is limiting the entry and exit of vessels to the South entrance/exit of Manila Bay and has entirely banned operations along other gates, including operations along the Pasig River. This is part of the no-sail zone policy that will be implemented during the Papal visit.
In Tacloban, all berths will be open to ships except Berth 8 where it will be used for purposes of safety and rescue operations on Jan 17. Operations within the Tacloban baseport are now being beefed up, including those related to passenger assistance facilities to ensure safety, security and convenience with roads leading to and from the ports closed during the Papal visit to the area.
Earlier, PPA said the Papal visit is expected to jack up congestion level at Manila ports if cargo owners do not double up their efforts to pull out cargoes from terminals before the five-day event.
As of Jan 13, combined laden and empty yard utilization at South Harbor and MICT is at 97%, according to PPA. Manila ports have high utilization levels following the long Christmas break last month, the agency added. – Roumina Pablo
