THE Philippine government will install the necessary cargo handling equipment at the Batangas Port’s second phase one month earlier, on assurances from its Chinese supplier that it can deliver the materials in advance.

In a phone interview last week, a Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) official said the agency will ask its contractor to install the equipment by October, instead of November as earlier announced.

The government initially wants the equipment, worth about P1-billion, to be ready and installed by December or shortly before the new contractor takes over.

“We have already inspected the equipment last month in China and I think they can finish it on time. We have asked them to adjust the schedule,” said Claro V. Maranan, PPA assistant general manager.

Chinese crane maker Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery (SZPM) will supply two quay cranes and four rubber-tired gantries to the Batangas Port, which currently suffers from low cargo volumes owing to a lack of equipment and infrastructure gridlocks in portions of the Southern Tagalog region.

Earlier, PPA chose the Chinese company after it offered inexpensive equipment which can be tailor fitted to meet the facility’s needs.

The cargo handling equipment covers part of a P5.5-billion loan extended by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation to the port agency for the facility’s expansion. Batangas is currently being geared to become an alternative terminal to the congested ports in Manila.

Earlier, the Japan agency also agreed to finance an additional P300 million for the port’s security systems, including its vessel traffic monitoring system, gate management system, and closed circuit television equipment.

Last year, the agency needed to assure ZPMC that the government will pay for the materials since FF Cruz and Co., the local company which will install the equipment, was directly negotiating with the Chinese company.

PPA’s assurance expedited the equipment installation, helping it complete the project by the time a new contractor comes in and runs the facility.

Currently, both International Container Terminal Services Inc. and Asian Terminals Inc., which both manage domestic terminals, are both interested in running the Luzon port.

THE Philippine government will install the necessary cargo handling equipment at the Batangas Port’s second phase one month earlier, on assurances from its Chinese supplier that it can deliver the materials in advance.

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