ICTSI blames system glitches for Port Area traffic woes

MANILA, Philippines - Computer system glitches caused the nightly traffic jams in Port Area, Manila since Tuesday, the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) said yesterday.

The ICTSI, which manages the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), said in a statement that these “minor” and “intermittent” glitches affected the flow of trucks going in and out of the terminal. The ICTSI did not elaborate, save to say the traffic snarls were also caused by a shipping backlog due to the long weekend, heavy rains, the closure of some roads and traffic rerouting in certain parts of Manila.

“MICT volume has been rising. (The) three-day weekend created some backlog,” the MICT management said in a statement sent through text to transportation reporters yesterday.

Meanwhile, Manila police said they were told by MICT officials that the change in their computer system was to be blamed for the long lines of delivery and container trucks straddling the route to the pier area. The traffic jam reportedly stretched from the North Harbor to as far as Ma. Orosa in Ermita Wednesday night.

Manila District Traffic Enforcement Unit chief Superintendent Rizaldy Yap, following his dialogue yesterday with terminal officials, said container trucks were refused entry at the pier since the MICT’s holding area was already full of trucks.

“There was no advisory to brokers and trucking companies, and this was why the trucks were stranded and caused a traffic jam,” Yap said in a text message to The STAR.

Yap said he advised MICT officials to inform the traffic bureau if a repeat of the technical bog down of their computers occurred again.

“There should be a system wherein trucking companies and brokers have their schedules of entry at the pier zone,” Yap said.

Aurelio Garcia, MICT terminal manager, and Raul Venturina, security manager, told Yap that within two to three days the new computer system would be in place.

On the other hand, Rodolfo de Ocampo, chairman of the Confederation of Truckers Associations of the Philippines (CTAP), said even without the system glitch, the flow of traffic is already bad in Port Area.

“We are constantly meeting with the MICT (management) and we frequently raise the need for them to speed up the processes at the terminal, particularly in the release of the containers,” De Ocampo said.