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Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said he will be meeting with New NAIA Infra Corp., the Department of Transportation, and other partners to identify remedial and long-term measures to address the current air cargo warehouse capacity limitations at Ninoy Aquino International Airport
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Nepomuceno told PortCalls the meeting will be to “identify long-term solutions and remedial measures that will address the congestion in our premier airport”
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BOC assistant commissioner Atty. Vincent Philip Maronilla earlier said said they aim to clear the Paircargo backlog by July — well ahead of the busy “ber months” when cargo volumes typically spike
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Several measures have been identified, such as the opening of a satellite area, while other initiatives such as extension of working hours are already being implemented by BOC-NAIA
Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said he will be meeting with New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), the Department of Transportation (DOTr), and other partners to identify remedial and long-term measures to the current air cargo warehouse capacity limitations at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
“Yes, I will meet NNIC, and DOTR, and our NAIA team plus other partners and stakeholders so we can identify long-term solutions and remedial measures that will address the congestion in our premier airport,” Nepomuceno told PortCalls in a text message on July 1.
BOC assistant commissioner Atty. Vincent Philip Maronilla during an event on June 25 said Nepomuceno will visit People’s Air Cargo & Warehousing Co., Inc. (Paircargo) at the NAIA complex, which has been experiencing delays in the processing of air shipments, once gets back from overseas.
The bottleneck traces back to the closure of Philippine Skylanders International’s (PSI) facility after NNIC reclaimed its premises for redevelopment, leaving Paircargo and Cargohaus as the only customs bonded warehouses serving multiple carriers at NAIA. Paircargo, which handles roughly 70% of the airport’s air cargo due to its direct ramp access, has borne the brunt of the volume surge.
NNIC took over NAIA in September 2024.
READ: Manila’s Cargo Crisis: Capacity Crunch at the Airport
Maronilla earlier said they aim to clear the Paircargo backlog by July — well ahead of the busy “ber months” when cargo volumes typically spike. “If you have this situation pagdating ng (during) ‘ber’ months, that’s going to be a bigger problem,” Maronilla warned. “We hope to resolve this entire issue — hopefully release everything by July and have a perfect system already by then.”
Maronilla also said BOC will continue coordinating with NNIC on its long-term plans for cargo operations so the bureau can determine which warehouses to accredit going forward. He said he sees NAIA remaining the primary hub for high-volume air cargo, with Clark International Airport serving a different market.
Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Ferdinand Ferrer earlier said air cargo clearance rates at NAIA have deteriorated from 95% of shipments cleared in less than three days last year to just 76% today, eroding manufacturers’ ability to meet tight turnaround commitments. The congestion has hit the semiconductor industry particularly hard, disrupting shipments of wafers, storage devices, and other components that move exclusively by air. According to a PortCalls source, at least one global technology company has already suspended production of one of its product lines, and industry leaders warn others could follow if the situation is not resolved quickly.
Interim solutions
BOC has identified certain measures, while its collection district, BOC-NAIA, has already rolled out initiatives to help address the issue.
Maronilla said NNIC has agreed to allow BOC and Paircargo to use space in the Duty Free area as a satellite processing facility. The area has already been serving as a staging area for several days, but its conversion into a satellite office will enable the actual clearance and processing of cargo on-site, rather than simply storing overflow shipments.
Maronilla noted the site was previously a designated examination area. “The facility is already there and all we have to do is bring in personnel of Paircargo,” he said, adding that BOC is also looking to temporarily declare the old Miascor facility — shuttered since 2018 — as a customs processing zone to provide additional relief.
Prior to these plans, BOC-NAIA has already rolled out several relief measures. Operating hours have been extended from the previous 8 am–5 pm, Monday to Friday, to 7 am–9 pm daily including weekends.
BOC-NAIA also encouraged stakeholders to schedule releases between 7 am and 1 pm to avoid the typically congested afternoon window.
Moreover, BOC-NAIA has set up a Viber group for stakeholders to follow up on unlocated entries and is in close coordination with Paircargo on the ground.— Roumina Pablo
