The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has a pending application to open a container yard in Carmelray Industrial Park in Calamba, Laguna.
PEZA deputy director general Tereso Panga said the prospect of establishing similar ones in other ecozones is on a “wait-and-see status.”
There is currently a space shortage in container depots located in Metro Manila, a direct result of the Manila daytime truck ban that has restricted container haulage, and caused a pileup of boxes. While the Manila truck ban has been lifted in September, Metro Manila depots are still grappling with too many empty containers.
PEZA on August 1 opened a depot in the Cavite Economic Zone (CEZ) which provides much-needed space for up to 4,500 twenty-footer containers.
Panga said locators are “happy” with the presence of a container depot within CEZ.
He said 40% of the Cavite facility, which functions as a bonded inland container depot, is currently being utilized for laden containers. Empties can also be returned and retrieved within the zone.
Earlier, Panga said locators save 40% on trucking costs alone from using the inland depot.
“With or without congestion, locators stand to benefit (from) it because of reduced trucking cost, just-in-time movement of boxes, faster releasing of export boxes for loading in the port/vessel,” Panga said.
Asked if there are still locators threatening to pull out of the country due to delays in the delivery of raw materials as a residual effect of the truck ban, Panga said there are none, but added that PEZA “still gets complaints daily.”
PEZA locators account for about 75% of the country’s total merchandise exports. – Roumina Pablo
Image courtesy of khunaspix at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
