Reacting to what I’ve written concerning the Port of Manila (P.O.M) congestion, a respected businessman who has several billion pesos invested in the Philippines could not control his emotions as well as his words concerning the issue.
For starters, the businessman pointed out that the problem is not a mere “congestion” but has become a “supply chain crisis” that will surely result in inflation and impact the country’s economic growth. Just like other businessmen, the fellow also wondered how the PNoy administration over simplifies the problem.
Without goods and raw materials, whatever improvements the country made in the manufacturing sector in the second half of the year will surely be diminished in the succeeding quarters. To make matters worse, whatever goods have been made for export are not making it on time to their intended markets because the pile up at the P.O.M has created such a bad impression that shipping companies abroad either skip the Manila or charge a hefty fee called CIC or Container Imbalance Charge that has gone from $300 to $900.
For conversation sake, I mentioned the option to go via Batangas City Port and the statement by a lawyer in the cabinet cluster group claiming, “Businessmen refuse to go elsewhere and would always prioritize convenience.” The investors’ response was: “Bullshit.”
He apparently was so desperate that he tried the Port of Batangas; “But the problem is from China to Batangas port there’s only one shipping line that plies the route and it’s not regular, sometimes na po-postpone. Hong Kong, Singapore and Kaohsiung are shipping hubs; P.O.M is not. There are no direct ships from Europe to Manila because the volume is not there. So they consolidate in Hong Kong and transship to Manila.
Comparing China to P.O.M, shipping a 40-foot “Hi-cube” is $750 to $800 to Manila. China to Batangas Port is $1,700. I have to bite the bullet na nga eh but irregular yung barko.” “Trucking from Batangas port going to Manila bodega mo mas malaki dahil may tollgate ka pa. malayo eh!” Batangas to Manila costs P35,000. But now Manila also costs P30,000-35,000 before it was just P9,000 within Manila. So the costs are the same kaya kumagat ako Batangas but there are not enough ships.”
It seems that truckers used to be able to make two round trips to the pier in one day but because of the congestion it takes 3 whole days to do one trip to the pier, get the goods, and deliver to a warehouse and then fall in line again. The businessman also shared that some “enterprising” people at the P.O.M are charging P30,000 for trucks who want to use the “Invisible Express Lane” which makes a Metro Manila bound delivery cost P60,000 lagay included. All this makes us wonder what the PPA has been doing about the problem?
The Businessman laments the fact that the government has done nothing to promote Batangas City port or to temporarily reroute shipping there. If the government were serious about promoting Batangas City Port as well as solving the current congestion at P.O.M, PNoy and his band of merry men in Malacañang would have offered incentives at the alternate port. But many people suspect that the congestion and inefficiency is intentional in order to create business opportunities for people at the piers who no longer collect weekly pay-offs during the Pre-PNoy days.
As I discovered, the CRISIS at the ports has seriously resulted in losses for many companies. People who are in fashion, consumer goods and even food are not able to deliver and sell products but also end up paying hefty fines to their end point market. One such group paid close to P10 million in “penalties” to supermarket chains and malls for January to June to compensate them for empty shelves and the standard 10% of gross revenues that goes to the end seller as part of the rent. A veteran exporter pointed out that if exporters can’t get their goods on to ships on-time, they are penalized by the foreign buyers and sometimes even have to pay the airfreight at a huge loss in order to get their good to the markets on time and keep future business.
A friend claims he lost P450 million plus in projected revenues and penalties. Another businessman pointed out that they have an entire nationwide chain of dealers and retailers as well as sales people with nothing to sell, not hitting quotas and not making the commissions that they rely heavily on. President Noynoy Aquino may not realize it but his “Matuwid Na Daan” or flagship Straight and Narrow governance ends at the Port of Manila because there all it takes is 30 thousand pieces of pesos to sell out PNoy.
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“Ipapa sa Diyos na lang namin” — translation: We will just leave it up to GOD.
Almost every night as I watch the news, I hear one family member or another say those words concerning the murder, homicide or some injustice done to their family. Out of fear and poverty those left behind utter what has eerily become a “Standard Response” from victims or their family. But what may sound so Christian and biblical is actually a condemnation of our entire law enforcement and justice system where they have no hope and no faith in.
Unless you belong to the rich upper class, have many friends in media, die or suffer an exceptionally brutal death or be part of a “Massacre” worthy of becoming a film featuring Kris Aquino as the Massacre Queen, you stand a better chance of getting answered prayers from GOD than answers from PNoy and his government. This is what our peace and order as well as justice system has become. Perhaps this is why GOD has frustrated the President’s expectations with the justice system and the Supreme Court. If the poor people can’t get justice, peace and order under his watch, why should he be entitled to any?
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