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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PPA explains importance of port operations' digital shift in Senate inquiry

PPA explains importance of port operations' digital shift in Senate inquiry

Published Apr 13, 2023 05:27 am
While all government agencies are already going online in its transactions, the digitalization efforts of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) that are supposed to make port operations easier appears to be continuously hitting a snag.  Despite the greenlight of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) for instance, the Trusted Operator Program- Container Registry and Monitoring System (TOP-CRMS) remains unimplemented, one of the major reasons is the opposition from business groups, which the PPA said, sees the digital shift as a threat to its income.  The TOP-CRMS uses technology for up-to-date container tracking allowing customers, carriers, freight forwarders, and shippers to access the status of their cargoes and containers. It is expected to keep a registry and monitor all inbound shipping containers that will track every foreign-owned container’s location and movement using the industry- accepted data interchange formats through encrypted channels. Likewise, it aims to address the decades-long issues of hefty container deposits and poorly managed empty containers that congest the ports.  In a Senate hearing, PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago reiterated the benefits of the implementation of the TOP-CRMS, including the lowering of logistics costs within the country’s ports. Santiago told senators headed by Senate Public Services Committee inquiry chairperson Senator Grace Poe that the program is a proposed solution of PPA to combat increased incremental cost of transacting in the country’s logistics chain. ”One of the objectives of the said program is to prescribe the policy in the registration and monitoring of containers entering and leaving PPA ports including the scheduling, loading, unloading, release and movement of all containers,” said Santiago.  In debunking the arguments raised by business groups, Santiago also cited Presidential Decree No. 857, PPA is mandated to monitor and manage the entry, exit, re-entry and re-export of containers at PPA-administered ports.  “The mandate of the PPA is to ensure the free flowing traffic of containers, of cargo to our ports and we need to monitor, we need to know when the containers will actually be brought back or when they will be coming in to be able to manage the terminals efficiently because the terminals only have a limited space. They may be many hectares but always limited,” Santiago said.  E-ticketing  During the Holy Week exodus last week, port passengers have complained of long queues in securing tickets due to the absence of online booking in some ports by some shipping companies.  The PPA has long been proposing the implementation of the e-ticketing system, which it said, is the long term solution to the decades-long problem of passenger port congestion. Based on the proposal, the e-ticketing system will have a platform wherein all the shipping lines would be connected. The portal includes the schedule of all travels such as the expected departure and arrival time from and to the ports, as well as a system that would enable booking and ticket payment. "Our kababayan can log on to this portal and plan their travel in just one sitting at the comfort of their homes, offices or wherever they are," said Santiago. In eyeing the e-ticketing implementation, Santiago also cited cases wherein passengers, whose destinations require at least two sea travel, have to fall in long queues at least two times. The implementation of the e-ticketing system, however, was cancelled in July last year. Moving forward  In his closing remarks during the Senate inquiry, Santiago reiterated that PPA’s focus is to better the welfare of the port users and will abide by the result of the senate inquiry.  “We have to make sure that the ports are run efficiently and this is where this particular program, this particular effort comes into play,” said Santiago. But if the digitalization efforts would not push through, Santiago said there would be no problem on their part: “We just move forward, we concentrate on the other mandates of the PPA.” Meanwhile, Poe is hopeful that the maritime and transportation sectors will arrive at a win-win situation.  “As long as we are willing to listen, we will be able to find a mutually beneficial solution,” said Poe.
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