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THE
National Maritime Leasing Corp. (NMLC) still has to make
significant inroads to assist the country’s vessel
operators that still have their ageing vessels, a
government official said.
Philippine Ports Authority general manager Oscar M.
Sevilla said that there is “not much activity going on”
for the NMLC since it only finances vessels for use in
the missionary routes—or those areas that are
unprofitable.
The NMLC
was established to help the players in the domestic
shipping industry by providing alternative financing.
“They [NMLC]
should allow vessel operators to operate in the routes
they choose. They have to be in placed on where they
will earn profits,” Sevilla said.
“There
should be deregulated routes and rates. If they [vessel
operators] will be forced to go there [missionary
routes], after maybe two weeks they will surely be
gone,” he added.
Sevilla
said that the state firm, a subsidiary of National
Development Co., should conduct a feasibility study to
look into the problem more closely and give leeway since
it would be hard for operators to service the pioneering
routes that has little or no economic activity at all.
NMLC
president Agustin Bengzon earlier said that they are
created to give more activity in underdeveloped routes.
NMLC has
a program called Shipping Enhancement and Acquisition
through Lease-finance. Such program, however, has barely
made a dent to build more ships that will service the
missionary routes.
These
missionary routes are Maasin,
Leyte to Ubay,
Bohol; Santander,
Cebu to Siquijor Island; Camiguin to Jagna, Bohol; and
Lucena, Quezon to Boac, Marinduque.
At the
moment NMLC was only able to finance three
Roll-on/Roll-off vessels for Batangas-based Montenegro
Shipping Lines Inc.
Officials said that the account was given by Development
Bank of the Philippines to NMLC during the time of
Agustin’s predecessor, Teodoro Villanueva, in order to
jumpstart the state firm’s leasing activities.
Such
deal, however, has been mired with anomalies, according
to a report of the Commission of Audit, which involves
the deal on M/V Lolita that has a “fictitious” official
receipt from the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
According to the Import Entry and Internal Revenue
Declaration M/V Oliva costs P13.37 million, M/V Natasha
P5.7 million, and M/V Lolita P10.09 million.
Records
show that M/V Oliva was paid on February 9, 2007 and M/V
Natasha on December 12, 2006. There was no record of M/V
Lolita being paid, COA said when the audit team inquired
with the BOC.
As a
strategy, NMLC will own the vessels until the time that
Montenegro was able to pay the entire amount over a five
to six year period. |
