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THE
World Bank has adjudged the Philippines the most
expensive place there is in Asia from which to trade
with the rest of the world.
In a
report, the World Bank found that
Manila
charges the most per container van of export or import
materials, higher than Singapore, China or Thailand.
According to the World Bank, port and terminal handling
costs in the Philippines total $1,336 per 20-foot
container versus only $335 in China, $382 in Singapore
and $848 in Thailand.
It
concluded Manila has the highest cost among the
countries it surveyed, adding this was a “cause of
concern for the Filipino exporters/importers.”
The
study found the cost for shipping anything out of Manila
in a 20-footer already totals $994, which includes $500
for domestic transshipment from Cebu to Manila, for
example; cargo handling or arrastre of another $175; $45
for the terminal handling charge and $274 as port
charges.
The
World Bank said the $994 per 20-footer figure accounts
for the bulk of the total cost to export from the
Philippines.
This was
on top of another schedule of fees that total $721.21
per container van.
The fee
charged the exporter or importer by a foreign shipping
company for transporting vans from Cebu to Manila
already costs $500.
This was
on top of a $30 fee for the bill of lading, the terminal
handling charge of $30, chassis rental of $9, a fuel
adjustment factor of $70, even a telex release fee of
$35, a loading fee of $11, cargo handling/arrastre fee
of $46.02 and export wharfage of $5.19.
Except
for the export wharfage, arrastre and loading fees, the
World Bank said all these fees went to the foreign
shipping liners.
The
charges had been such that Socioeconomic Planning
Secretary and Neda chief Romulo Neri was scandalized to
learn that even the Bureau of Customs seems to have
taken advantage of the situation by charging exporters
fees for the use of its x-ray scanning machines.
Industry
sources said Neri reminded BOC chief Napoleon Morales it
was never the intention of the National Economic
Development Authority for the bureau to impose a
scanning fee.
Neri
said the fee was needless, as
Manila
can recover the cost of purchasing the equipment out of
the increase in customs duties and taxes.
Reports
claimed Morales charges $50 as security fee per 40-foot
container, and $25 per 20-footer containers.
The
Philippines obtained a loan from the Chinese government
to make the purchase of the x-ray scanning machines
possible.
Sources
also said Finance Secretary Margarito Teves was
similarly scandalized and has promised to “look into the
matter” quickly. |
