Poe wants TOP-CRMS totally scrapped after ARTA re-evaluation
Published Jul 30, 2023 11:04 am
Senator Grace Poe on Sunday, July 30 welcomed the Anti-Red Tape Authority’s (ARTA) re-evaluation of the Trusted Operator Program – Container Registry and Monitoring System (TOP-CRMS) being pushed by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
Sen. Grace Poe (Senate PRIB Photo)
“ARTA'S re-evaluation of the new container monitoring system in all ports is timely given the discussions in the Senate where the new system was found to be unnecessary,” Poe said in a statement. “Dagdag gastos na nga, dagdag pasakit pa (Not only does it entail additional cost, it also gave additional burden). It was found during the Senate hearing that the new monitoring system will only add an additional layer of bureaucracy when shipping lines already have their own,” the Senate Committee on Public Services chairperson added. Poe noted that the only reason the PPA had to continually push for the TOP-CRMS was the “good rating” ARTA issued in March 2023. “The issue of port congestion which PPA used to justify the policy is apparently non-existent. Even PPA, as claimed by ARTA, admitted that there is no congestion in PPA-regulated ports,” she pointed out. “Sabi nga ng ilang stakeholders noong pagdinig sa Senado, seasonal lang daw ito (As some stakeholders have said during the Senate hearing, this is only seasonal),” Poe said. “As the Senate Committee on Public Services found, the TOP-CRMS will not solve the logistics problem it seeks to address but only create redundancy in procedures and entail additional costs to port users,” the senator reiterated. With this, Poe said she hopes that ARTA’s decision would finally drive the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and PPA to officially revoke the TOP-CRMS, which is being opposed by at least 24 influential business groups in the country. “Hopefully, this re-evaluation will also push both the DOTr and PPA to follow through on its commitment to the Senate and officially revoke the said policy,” she said. “Kailangan ng mas masusing pag-aaral mula sa DOTr at PPA kung paano mapapababa ang logistics costs sa bansa (DOTr and PPA needs to conduct a deeper study on how to lower the logistics costs in the country). For the next proposal, it would be crucial for the PPA to work with DOTr, BOC, and all stakeholders to find a more viable solution that is acceptable to all,” the lawmaker stressed. In a separate statements, the Alliance of Concerned Truck Owners and Organizations (ACTOO), Alliance of International Shipping Lines (AISL) and Alliance of Container Yard Operators of the Philippines (ACYOP) hailed ARTA's decision as a savior for the industries affected by the TOP-CRMS. “The business community commends ARTA's unwavering dedication to protecting the interests of stakeholders and fostering a conducive environment for economic growth as mandated by the Ease of Doing Business Law or Republic Act 11032,” they said in a statement. ARTA’s decision, they said, has “unequivocally put the final nail in the coffin of TOP-CRMS.” “ARTA's recommendation fully aligns with the concerns raised by industry operators, who firmly believe that the PPA's proposal would have detrimental effects on the economy,” said Patrick Ronas, President of AISL. Rina Papa, ACTOO Director also said ARTA’s recommendation is in perfect alignment with what the group has consistently pointed out—"the inefficiency, duplicity, and detrimental effects of PPA’s TOP-CRMS on truck owners and operators.” Roger Lalu, chairman of ACYOP, also thanked ARTA, in behalf of off-terminal and off-dock container storage facility operators in the Philippines, for its re-evaluation and for preventing what could have been severe negative consequences of the policy. “This arbitrary project would have rendered the industry dead if implemented,” Lalu said. According to ACTOO, ACYOP, AISL, ARTA’s findings would be immensely helpful to Poe’s committee: “With ARTA’s findings, we expect the committee to recommend a total revocation of TOP-CRMS.” In a letter sent by ARTA Director General Ernesto Perez to PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago, ARTA found no sound legal and empirical basis to justify the need for a new regulation and to intervene in instances where evidence indicates a genuine issue or legitiimate need for intervention, in accordance with Principle 2 of the Philippine Good Regulatory Principle (PGRP). ARTA’s examination, Perez said, also found that the fees associated with the implementation of the TOP-CRMS will entail additional costs to stakeholders, particularly in relation to the utilization of PPA-authorized container staging facility outside the ports. But in his letter, the PPA General Manager and the PPA Board still has the discretion to decide whether or not to implement the regulation, notwithstanding the results of the re-evaluation. Perez, however, said the re-evaluation results may be used as a reference in determining “whether the proposed regulation will be a viable intervention to implement or adopt or not, revised accordingly, replaced, or scrapped altogether.”
Sen. Grace Poe (Senate PRIB Photo)
“ARTA'S re-evaluation of the new container monitoring system in all ports is timely given the discussions in the Senate where the new system was found to be unnecessary,” Poe said in a statement. “Dagdag gastos na nga, dagdag pasakit pa (Not only does it entail additional cost, it also gave additional burden). It was found during the Senate hearing that the new monitoring system will only add an additional layer of bureaucracy when shipping lines already have their own,” the Senate Committee on Public Services chairperson added. Poe noted that the only reason the PPA had to continually push for the TOP-CRMS was the “good rating” ARTA issued in March 2023. “The issue of port congestion which PPA used to justify the policy is apparently non-existent. Even PPA, as claimed by ARTA, admitted that there is no congestion in PPA-regulated ports,” she pointed out. “Sabi nga ng ilang stakeholders noong pagdinig sa Senado, seasonal lang daw ito (As some stakeholders have said during the Senate hearing, this is only seasonal),” Poe said. “As the Senate Committee on Public Services found, the TOP-CRMS will not solve the logistics problem it seeks to address but only create redundancy in procedures and entail additional costs to port users,” the senator reiterated. With this, Poe said she hopes that ARTA’s decision would finally drive the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and PPA to officially revoke the TOP-CRMS, which is being opposed by at least 24 influential business groups in the country. “Hopefully, this re-evaluation will also push both the DOTr and PPA to follow through on its commitment to the Senate and officially revoke the said policy,” she said. “Kailangan ng mas masusing pag-aaral mula sa DOTr at PPA kung paano mapapababa ang logistics costs sa bansa (DOTr and PPA needs to conduct a deeper study on how to lower the logistics costs in the country). For the next proposal, it would be crucial for the PPA to work with DOTr, BOC, and all stakeholders to find a more viable solution that is acceptable to all,” the lawmaker stressed. In a separate statements, the Alliance of Concerned Truck Owners and Organizations (ACTOO), Alliance of International Shipping Lines (AISL) and Alliance of Container Yard Operators of the Philippines (ACYOP) hailed ARTA's decision as a savior for the industries affected by the TOP-CRMS. “The business community commends ARTA's unwavering dedication to protecting the interests of stakeholders and fostering a conducive environment for economic growth as mandated by the Ease of Doing Business Law or Republic Act 11032,” they said in a statement. ARTA’s decision, they said, has “unequivocally put the final nail in the coffin of TOP-CRMS.” “ARTA's recommendation fully aligns with the concerns raised by industry operators, who firmly believe that the PPA's proposal would have detrimental effects on the economy,” said Patrick Ronas, President of AISL. Rina Papa, ACTOO Director also said ARTA’s recommendation is in perfect alignment with what the group has consistently pointed out—"the inefficiency, duplicity, and detrimental effects of PPA’s TOP-CRMS on truck owners and operators.” Roger Lalu, chairman of ACYOP, also thanked ARTA, in behalf of off-terminal and off-dock container storage facility operators in the Philippines, for its re-evaluation and for preventing what could have been severe negative consequences of the policy. “This arbitrary project would have rendered the industry dead if implemented,” Lalu said. According to ACTOO, ACYOP, AISL, ARTA’s findings would be immensely helpful to Poe’s committee: “With ARTA’s findings, we expect the committee to recommend a total revocation of TOP-CRMS.” In a letter sent by ARTA Director General Ernesto Perez to PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago, ARTA found no sound legal and empirical basis to justify the need for a new regulation and to intervene in instances where evidence indicates a genuine issue or legitiimate need for intervention, in accordance with Principle 2 of the Philippine Good Regulatory Principle (PGRP). ARTA’s examination, Perez said, also found that the fees associated with the implementation of the TOP-CRMS will entail additional costs to stakeholders, particularly in relation to the utilization of PPA-authorized container staging facility outside the ports. But in his letter, the PPA General Manager and the PPA Board still has the discretion to decide whether or not to implement the regulation, notwithstanding the results of the re-evaluation. Perez, however, said the re-evaluation results may be used as a reference in determining “whether the proposed regulation will be a viable intervention to implement or adopt or not, revised accordingly, replaced, or scrapped altogether.”