The accreditation of seafreight forwarders has been placed under the Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Trade Undersecretary Atty. Victorio Mario Dimagiba told PortCalls in a text message that almost all the functions of the Philippine Shippers’ Bureau had been transferred to the FTEB last month, except for the supply chain function, which is now under the Competitiveness Division under the Bureau of Export Trade Promotion.
The reshuffle of functions is part of the rationalization plan for the DTI approved by the Department of Budget and Management on October 17, 2013.
Dimagiba said the accreditation process for seafreight forwarders under the FTEB remains the same.
The FTEB is under the Consumer Welfare and Business Regulation Group that Dimagiba heads. The position of FTEB director is still vacant, he added.
As of June 30, about 609 international and 185 domestic sea freight forwarders have been accredited, according to the FTEB-Business Licensing and Accreditation Division.
There have been moves in the past to transfer accreditation of seafreight forwarders to the Maritime Industry Authority, an attached agency of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). This would place both seafreight forwarders and airfreight forwarders under the DOTC.
Airfreight forwarders are overseen by the Civil Aeronautics Board, a DOTC agency. – Roumina Pablo
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