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A P5,000 fine on trucks entering the Manila International Container Terminal without valid transactions has been approved by the Philippine Ports Authority
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The unauthorized entry fine will be imposed from August 17
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PPA Memorandum Circular No. 07-2023 aims to promote efficient use of roads and speed up entry into the terminal
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The fine will be shouldered by the erring truck driver and/or the trucking company, and should not be passed on to the shipper/consumer
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) approved a P5,000 fine for trucks entering Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) without valid transactions.
The unauthorized entry fine under PPA Memorandum Circular No. 07-2023 was approved by the PPA directors in Board Resolution No. 3216 to “promote the efficient use of the roads and speed up entry into the terminal.” The circular takes effect on August 17.
The fine had been previously imposed by MICT. A public hearing on the unauthorized entry fine, previously named “pass thru fee”, was held by PPA on February 10.
Under MC No. 07-2023, the unauthorized entry fine will be shouldered by the erring truck driver and/or the trucking company, and not passed on to the shipper/consumer.
During the February 10 public hearing, MICT management services and government affairs director Voltaire Wycoco said the unauthorized entry 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 transacting business at 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 implementation of 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 (ICTSI) 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.
CTAP president Maria Zapata during the February hearing blamed heavy traffic for truckers arriving late at MICT leading to expiration of their pre-advise or TABS booking.
Renaming access road
Meanwhile, the PPA Board also approved renaming the access road, subject to submission to the Board prior to implementation of name change.
PPA Port Management Office-National Capital Region South (PMO-NCR South), which has jurisdiction over MICT, has been directed to rename the access road.
PMO-NCR South was directed to install signs at ICTSI-recommended locations warning that only authorized trucks with valid transactions at MICT are allowed inside the port facilities in compliance with the ISPS Code.
PMO-NCR South will install warning signs and strictly impose the one-way traffic and no parking policy at MICT North Access Road/IPB road. – Roumina Pablo
