The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will make a recommendation to the Office of the President this month on the final status of the Philippine Ports Authority’s (PPA) administration order implementing the Trusted Operator Program-Container Registry and Monitoring System (TOP-CRMS).
Jaime Bautista, DOTr secretary, told a Senate hearing on the agency’s budget PPA’s TOP-CRMS remains deferred as the scheme is being studied.
However, a report of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) noted PPA’s statement during a consultation meeting last June that there is currently no port congestion contradicts the system’s intended purpose.
This observation by ARTA was contained in the re-evaluation of the Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) on TOP-CRMS conducted upon the request of various stakeholders to be affected by the proposed regulation.
ARTA recommended for PPA explore cost-effective alternatives to address potential congestion without burdening stakeholders. However, ARTA said the final decision on implementing the regulation rests with the PPA and its board.
PPA’s 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.
Part of the TOP-CRMS is the payment of P980 per container monitoring fee, inclusive of container deposit insurance to also address the issues of missing and damaged containers.
TOP-CRMS is part of PPA’s digital transformation initiatives in response to the call of President Marcos Jr. for government agencies to digitize operations to make services to the public more efficient and transparent, and less prone to corruption.
TOP-CRMS is seen as the solution, PPA said.
