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Full implementation of a joint memorandum circular addressing congestion around Matnog port in Sorsogon is under way
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The Anti-Red Tape Authority mobilized the Department of Transportation, local government unit of Matnog and Philippine Ports Authority on March 31 to work out short- and medium-term solutions to the congestion problem
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Eyed is a P550-million RoRo terminal expansion
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The Matnog LGU is proposing a terminal and commercial center where vehicles can park to avoid queueing on roads leading to the port
The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) has launched implementation of a joint memorandum circular (JMC) addressing perennial congestion in the vicinity of Matnog Port in Sorsogon.
The circular aims to reduce congestion, particularly in queuing, marshalling, loading, and embarkation of passengers and rolling cargoes at Matnog Port. It also seeks to ensure efficient delivery of government services and address rampant fixing in the immediate vicinity of the port.
“When completely implemented, this JMC will benefit not only the logistics sector, but all Filipinos. With the burdensome congestion addressed, there will be less logistics costs that will be passed on to consumers,” ARTA director general Ernesto Perez said in a statement.
During the March 31 launch, the Department of Transportation (DOTr), local government unit (LGU) of Matnog, and Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) presented their proposed solutions, including expansion of the Sorsogon RoRo Terminal in Matnog Port with initial funding of P550 million; and establishment of a Matnog Terminal and Commercial Center meant to solve traffic congestion on roads leading to Matnog Port.
During the event, ARTA turned over the physical copy of the JMC to Sorsogon governor Jose Edwin Hamor for his signature, a requirement for full effectivity of the JMC. Hamor committed to sign after securing authorization from the Provincial Board of Sorsogon in a meeting set on April 4.
Under the JMC, signed on November 29, 2022, the involved agencies and LGUs are directed to set up procedures that will improve the ease of doing business and efficient delivery of government services at Matnog Port, pursuant to Republic Act No. 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.
RELATED READ: ARTA, other agencies seek to address Matnog port congestion
Salient features of the JMC are streamlining and automation through a one-stop-shop for truckers, rolling cargoes, vehicles, passengers, and other stakeholders using Matnog Port.
The circular directs PPA, in collaboration with concerned agencies, to develop an online portal for the where stakeholders can advance reservation and pay for a ticket before their arrival at the port.
Only those with confirmed online bookings and fully paid fees will be allowed entry to the port.
The circular says stakeholders should only be required to make a single payment via an online portal. No separate payments should be made as the ticket price should be inclusive of all relevant fees, such as the roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminal fee, passenger terminal building, LGU fee, and other related processes.
Relevant government agencies are directed to adopt digital technologies, information and communications technology tools, and other solutions to streamline and automate services at the port.
PPA, in collaboration with the provincial and municipal LGUs and other relevant agencies, was directed to implement a single window for the queuing and marshalling procedures and related verification and confirmatory processes. This aims to eliminate the need for separate scattered windows or queues for transactions.
ARTA said streamlining the process will benefit both stakeholders and concerned government authorities as it is intended to facilitate movement and ease port entry restrictions.
The PPA port management office of Bicol presented during the launch its electronic terminal management system (ETMS) project, which features unified electronic ticketing capabilities.
The ETMS aims to “provide a digitized and systematized process of recording simultaneous submission of passenger manifest and vessel voyage information, which can effectively be scaled and extended to support future phases of the terminal management process at PPA port terminals.”
The ETMS will be installed in PPA ports, including Matnog Port. The policy implementing ETMS is undergoing regulatory impact assessment by ARTA, but PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago had said earlier the agency hopes to implement the system within the year.
DOTr has identified short- and medium-term solutions to congestion issues at Matnog Port, DOTr project manager Florencio dela Cruz said.
Solutions
The short-run solutions include establishing a backup holding area and digitalization of the port’s operation and ticketing system. The medium-term solution is upgrading the facilities in Matnog Port and raising the port capacity in Sorsogon.
Dela Cruz said there is a proposal to expand the Sorsogon RoRo Terminal in Matnog Port with an initial funding of P550 million.
For its part, Matnog municipal administrator Dionebel Figueroa said the LGU is proposing the establishment of a Matnog Terminal and Commercial Center to solve traffic congestion on roads leading to Matnog Port.
The MTCC will occupy a 14.06-hectare area located in Barangay Gadgaran, about 1.5 kilometers from the port. It will have a parking space, an integrated transport terminal, leasable commercial spaces, ticketing booths/offices for shipping lines, and a digital queuing system.
Prior to this, the Sorsogon provincial government has established a blue lane, or a designated lane for cargo and passenger vehicles, which significantly eased the traffic flow going to the port.
The blue lane is the provincial government’s immediate step towards offering a lasting solution to the traffic congestion in Matnog.
Transport agencies and the local government unit have been trying to find immediate solutions to the problems faced yearly by Matnog Port, a jump-off port from Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao that handles RoRo vessels and services passengers.
The port has been known to suffer perennial congestion and truck queuing, especially during the holidays, when passengers travelling home swamp the terminal.
There are also allegations of extortion activities at the gateway, such as fixers reportedly asking passengers for money and truckers being asked for payment so they can board vessels quickly. – Roumina Pablo
