-
The Bureau of Customs-Ninoy Aquino International Airport extended operating hours and added more personnel as part of measures to address delays in the processing and release of air shipments at the People’s Air Cargo & Warehousing Co., Inc. facility in Pasay City
-
BOC-NAIA is also encouraging stakeholders to have their shipments released from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm
-
Most releases only happen from 2 pm onwards and during weekends, leading to congestion during those hours
-
BOC-NAIA created a Viber Group for stakeholders so it can follow up with Paircargo entries that remain unlocated
-
The Philippine Multimodal Transport and Logistics Association has received numerous complaints from members regarding the delays
The Bureau of Customs-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BOC-NAIA) has extended operating hours and deployed additional personnel to tackle mounting delays in the processing and release of air shipments at the People’s Air Cargo & Warehousing Co., Inc. (Paircargo) facility in Pasay City.
BOC-NAIA district collector Atty. Maria Yasmin Obillos-Mapa told PortCalls that work hours have been expanded from the previous 8 am–5 pm, Monday to Friday, to 7 am–9 pm daily, including weekends. To ease congestion, the agency is encouraging stakeholders to schedule shipment releases between 7 am and 1 pm, ahead of the typically busy window that begins at 2 pm and extends through weekends.
Mapa said the office is in close coordination with Paircargo and has set up a Viber group for stakeholders to follow up on unlocated entries.
The Philippine Multimodal Transport and Logistics Association, Inc. (PMTLAI) had flagged the delays in a June 3 letter to Paircargo, attributing part of the problem to a surge in volume following the closure of Philippine Skylanders International, Inc. (PSI). PSI shut down after NAIA operator New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. reclaimed its premises for redevelopment. Another cargo handler, Miascor, was ordered closed in 2018 by then-President Rodrigo Duterte over a string of baggage theft incidents.
With PSI and Miascor gone, Paircargo and Cargohaus are now the only customs bonded warehouses serving multiple carriers at NAIA. Paircargo handles roughly 70% of the airport’s air cargo owing to its direct ramp access — an advantage Cargohaus, despite being within the NAIA complex, does not have. Capacity concerns have since grown among industry players. The remaining bonded warehouses — operated by Philippine Airlines, DHL, UPS, and Royal Cargo — handle only their own cargo.
At a local Customs Industry Consultative and Advisory Council meeting on June 8, the Paircargo team clarified that storage fees may be waived for affected shipments and that the company is fully mobilized to locate missing cargo, Mapa noted. PortCalls sought comment from Paircargo but had not received a response at press time.
PMTLAI said it will work with the BOC to identify measures that could improve the overall import clearance and cargo release process. — Roumina Pablo
