THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has asked cargo consignees to immediately withdraw their shipments especially of food and medical equipment at the ports to avoid congestion as well as shortage of these essential goods.
The DTI is also allowing food manufacturers to operate at maximum of 50 percent capacity or even more to ensure sufficient supply at tempered prices.
DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez made an appeal to all those with reefer containers and refrigerated vans which contain food to pull out their shipments and for port operators to release the same expeditiously to avoid any congestion at the terminals.
This, he said, will address the supply chain for food and other necessities.
Lopez cited a directive of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases for all importers, consignees, truckers, shipping lines and concerned government regulators such as the Bureau of Customs, Philippine Ports Authority, DTI and the Department of Agriculture to address disruptions to the supply chains and withdrawal of refrigerated containers as well as all dry vans and for port operators to release the same expeditiously.
In a March 27, 2020 advisory, the management of the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) appealed to consignees, shippers, brokers/processors to withdraw their reefers immediately after the port has “come to a point where it is becoming impossible to operate in an efficient manner.”
The port has seen a rise in the volume of imports sitting in the terminal, from 22,043 twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) on March 14 to 36,793 TEUs on March 27.
The MICT advisory said some 8,201 TEUs had been cleared but have yet to be pulled out of which over 805 TEUs are refrigerated containers.
It added there are over 21,387 TEUs waiting for clearance and released that have been discharged after March 1 of which 1,400 TEUs are reefers.
MICT has offered the use of its offsite facilities in Laguna, Bulacan or Cavite for those unable to take delivery at their own facilities.
Containers are not being pulled out because some of the businesses have shut down.
The port, operated by International Container Terminal Services Inc., sought the “support of everyone that is able to open” operations or “we will come to a point when efficient operations will no longer be possible.”
Lopez said government will now allow manufacturers of food and their packaging counterparts to operate at a maximum of 50 percent or more if needed. These include manufacturers of canned goods, noodles, bread and other staples.
He said even those that produce boxes and tins will be allowed to operate at 50 percent.
These measures, he said, will ensure there will be no shortage in supply.
The enhanced community quarantine in Luzon had limited the movement of people and encouraged work-from-home and other flexible arrangements that had impeded operations of businesses.
