Truckers end holiday as compromise reached

MANILA, Philippines - They’re back on the road.

Following a compromise agreement between Manila city officials and truck owners, truckers suspended their holiday and resumed operations at the Manila International Container Port, South Harbor and the Manila North Harbor, resulting in monstrous traffic jams at the Port Area yesterday.

Albert Suansing, a director of the Confederation of Truck Association of the Philippines (CTAP), blamed the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau (MTPB) that towed empty trucks inside the three ports for the traffic jams that started building up before lunch yesterday and worsened in the afternoon.

The loaded trucks could not enter the ports because the empty trucks were being accosted and towed by the MTPB.

“That’s causing the traffic build-up in Bonifacio Circle and at Road 10,” Suansing, a former Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief, told The STAR.

He said the daytime ban on empty trucks threatens to mess up the effort to put an end to the truck holiday staged by truckers to protest the Manila city government’s daytime truck ban that started last Monday.

Rodolfo de Ocampo, president of the Port Users Confederation (PUC) and chairman of the CTAP, said that owners started sending out their trucks when Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada agreed to a three-day trial on the compromise truck ban.

The three-day experiment started yesterday.

Under the compromise agreement, the 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. truck ban stays, but loaded trucks are allowed inside Manila during a 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. window.

Empty trucks, however, are only allowed on the road after 9 p.m.

“It depends on what happens. If the results are OK, then we could agree to make it permanent,” De Ocampo said.

Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno said Estrada met with Teddy Gervacio, president of the Integrated North Harbor Truckers Association (INHTA), and the truck owners agreed to stop the protest over the truck ban.

“Our ordinance provides 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. as window. But because of the appeal of the truckers and other people, we are giving them additional two hours in the window,” said Moreno, adding that the new window period would be tested for two to three weeks.

“If we will see that it continues to worsen the traffic situation in Manila, then we will have to make an assessment. But the law is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. window. We will see if the additional two hours window will cause traffic in the next two weeks or so,” Moreno said.

Moreno stressed the primary obligation of the city government is to make life convenient for Manila residents.

He said the truckers should think of measures to hasten the action of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) regarding the proposal to transfer shipping activities from the Port Area in Manila to the Batangas City port and Subic port.

“I am asking the truckers not to insult the intelligence of Manileños. They don’t really care about the interest of the majority of Manileños. Our obligation is to give convenience to Manilans. What they must do is to think how the PPA will transfer the shipping to Batangas to address the Cavite, Laguna, Quezon economic zones,” Moreno said.

Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner John Sevilla yesterday reported that revenues from the Port of Manila (POM) and the Manila International Container Port (MICP) lost during the three-day truck holiday reached P489.98 million.

The BOC also announced that in a bid to de-clog the container vans that piled up at the two ports, they extended office hours for three days and will be open even on Saturday.

Depending on the volume of containers that need to be released, the bureau may further extend operations up to Sunday.

Additional examiners would be deployed, along with stand-by personnel for X-ray inspection to expedite the release of cargo with paid customs duties and taxes.

Moreno said Manilans are happy with the implementation of the daytime truck ban.

“We are in jubilation. Manilans are in jubilation. One student said that it only took her 18 minutes to travel from Escolta to Quezon City. One said that it is taking her an hour before reaching the Manila Doctors, but because of the daytime truck ban she can reach Manila Doctors in 20 minutes,” Moreno said.

He said the city government is not getting even a single centavo from the PPA.

Moreno said the INHTA led by Gervacio should discipline its ranks and make their drivers follow the daytime truck ban.

He said even at 5 a.m. when the truck ban is already in effect, many trucks are still traveling along Roxas Boulevard.

“Let us be honest and admit that the traffic situation in Manila is worst. Each and every one of us must sacrifice for the greater good of the greater number of Manilans. The repairs being conducted by the national government on SLEX (South Luzon Expressway) will really give us headaches for three years. But after the repairs, all of us will be the one to benefit. So we must unite and make a sacrifice for the interest of the greater number of people,” Moreno said.

“Hopefully, the PPA will act immediately. Only the truck haulers and the officials of Manila have talked. I salute (Public Works and Highways) Secretary (Rogelio) Singson for helping us in the talks. But the PPA officials did not even join us. The future of the youth is what we are after. We have to sacrifice for them,” Moreno said.

Estrada also met last Wednesday with Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II and Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista.

“We didn’t talk about politics. Loaded trucks can enter Manila from Monday to Saturday. They are exempted from the daytime truck ban. But those empty trucks will be apprehended. They are covered by daytime truck ban. Ordinance 8039 will be amended applicable only to empty trucks. There is no economic sabotage,” Estrada said.

Bautista gave to Estrada the proposal of the Metro Manila Council (MMC), which is composed of all mayors in the metropolis, seeking 15 days of no apprehension.

Traders’ appeal

The Semiconductor Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc. (SEIPI) has called for the immediate lifting of the truck ban in Manila that has negative impact on business.

In a statement, SEIPI said the truck ban had affected not only truck operators but also multinational companies that rely on the day-to-day shipment and delivery of goods. 

It noted that the semiconductor and electronics sector, a major user of Manila ports, is among those greatly affected by the truck ban.

SEIPI said its members face the risk of line shutdown if materials don’t arrive on time, which would mean sending the operators home with no work to be done.

It said its members also face higher storage costs because the longer the materials stay in the ports the more fees they have to pay.

Loss of sales is also expected because delivery dates to clients are not met.

“One company’s production cost per day is around $90,000. If they have no materials to run, this will translate to a huge loss,” the SEIPI said.

For its part, the Makati Business Club (MBC) said solving the issue would require a coordinated effort from both the public and private sectors. – With Jose Rodel Clapano, Louella Desiderio