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People’s Air Cargo and Warehousing Co., Inc. anticipates “marked improvement” soon in the release of air cargo in their facility at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport complex following implementation of various measures, such as additional equipment and a satellite warehouse facility
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The company commissioned a satellite warehouse that is practically the same size as the closed NAIA International Cargo Terminal, and it will be fully operational in a few weeks’ time, according to president Joseph Madrigal
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Paircargo also implemented 24-hour daily releasing and continues to be in close, daily communication with the Bureau of Customs-Port of NAIA to further untangle the logjam
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A longer-term fix would be the construction of a new cargo terminal, a project already won by Paircargo over a decade ago and requiring only a notice to proceed from Manila International Airport Authority
People’s Air Cargo and Warehousing Co., Inc. (Paircargo) says relief is on the way for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) air cargo crunch.
Reacting to a PortCalls three-part special report on Manila’s cargo crisis, Paircargo president Joseph Madrigal, in a letter dated July 7, 2026, said the company has moved on several fronts to ease congestion at its NAIA facility: implementing 24-hour daily cargo releasing, procuring additional equipment, and commissioning a satellite warehouse that is practically the same size as the closed NAIA International Cargo Terminal. The satellite facility is expected to be fully operational within weeks.
READ: Manila’s Cargo Crisis (Part 1): When Sea and Air Feel the Squeeze
Manila’s Cargo Crisis (Part 2): Capacity Crunch at the Airport
Manila’s Cargo Crisis (Part 3): What Needs to Happen
“The hardworking staff of our company and of the Bureau of Customs have been working tirelessly to mitigate the impact of the current congestion on the public,” Madrigal said, adding that Paircargo continues to be in close daily communication with BOC-NAIA “to devise ways and means to improve the current situation, no matter the unnecessary roadblocks from external sources.”
“We anticipate that, given these measures, there will soon be a marked improvement in cargo releasing at NAIA,” he added.
The congestion at Paircargo traces back to the collapse in warehouse capacity following the closure of Philippine Skylanders International’s (PSI) facility after NAIA operator New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) reclaimed its premises for redevelopment following its 2024 takeover of the airport. With PSI gone — and Miascor having been shuttered since 2018 — Paircargo and Cargohaus are now the only customs bonded warehouses serving multiple carriers at NAIA. Paircargo, which handles roughly 70% of NAIA’s air cargo by virtue of its direct ramp access, has borne the brunt of the resulting volume surge.
He noted that under the circumstances, “while our Company is not the source or instigator of any of the current problems at NAIA, we are nevertheless doing our very best to contribute to a viable and legal solution.”
Madrigal called on BOC to fast-track and prioritize upgrades to its Electronic-to-Mobile (e2M) System, the aging customs clearance platform widely considered past its operational prime, saying Paircargo has directly suggested to the Customs Commissioner that procurement of upgrades or additions to the e2M platform be treated as a matter of urgency. BOC has said bidding for the proposed Customs Processing System (CPS) — e2M’s successor — is targeted for July 2026, with eventual rollout in March 2028.
BOC also moves
BOC-NAIA has in parallel extended its operating hours from 8 am–5 pm, Monday to Friday, to 7 am–9 pm daily including weekends, and has encouraged stakeholders to schedule releases between 7 am and 1 pm to avoid the congested afternoon window. A Viber group has been set up for stakeholders to follow up on unlocated entries, and BOC-NAIA remains in close coordination with Paircargo on the ground.
NNIC has also agreed to allow BOC and Paircargo to convert the Duty Free/Columbia Complex area into a satellite processing facility, enabling on-site cargo clearance rather than merely overflow staging.
BOC Assistant Commissioner Atty. Vincent Philip Maronilla has set a target of clearing the Paircargo backlog by July, ahead of the “ber months” when volumes spike. “If you have this situation pagdating ng ‘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.”
BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno has also said he will meet with NNIC, the Department of Transportation, and other partners and stakeholders to identify long-term solutions to the airport’s cargo warehouse capacity limitations. – Roumina Pablo
