Cargo handlers hit port charges disinformation

The Philippine Chamber of Arrastre and Stevedoring Operators (PCASO) composed of cargo-handling operators nationwide has assailed a disinformation campaign to the effect that President Arroyo has ordered a 20 percent rollback of the port cargo handling charges.

In a press statement issued yesterday, PCASO said President Arroyo has not ordered any rollback contrary to published reports during the 4th Mindanao Food Congress held recently at Cagayan de Oro.

PCASO said it was unfortunate that some sectors of port users have been trying to put words into the mouth of Presidential Adviser on Agriculture and Creation of One Million Jobs Luis Lorenzo and exert undue pressure on Malacañang to approve the rollback.

"It is a cheap shot that is causing unrest in the ports nationwide. We vow to expose the people who are responsible for it and their hidden agenda," the association of port operators said.

PCASO said these port users with vested interest have been telling lies instead of disclosing the real situation obtaining in ports in the country, especially as regards their inability to control transport costs that are being blamed for the "logistics problems" in moving goods in the Visayas and Mindanao.

According to PCASO, studies have already determined that arrastre and stevedoring form a minimal part of the total transport charges. It added that a large part of such charges are avoidable and, therefore, controllable through proper planning of loading and unloading of cargoes.

"Why blame PPA and port operators when port users could reduce their cost simply by doing things within their control? Perhaps, what we only have to do is sit down and consult with each other," it stressed.

PCASO clarified that arrastre and stevedoring charges compose, on the average, less than six percent of the total transport cost.

It added that port cargo handling is also one of the most regulated sectors in the country. Any petition for an increase is subject to approval by the PPA board of directors composed of the secretaries of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Maritime National Administration (MARINA) and a private sector representative.

The PPA board more often than not disapproved these petitions and records will show that PPA has been very strict, even to the extent of being unreasonable, according to PCASO.

The association of port operators said arrastre and stevedoring rates in the Philippines are one of the lowest in the world.