CHALLENGES show the character of any organization. It clearly defines how an organization react to certain aspects of those challenges.
Same is true with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
The year 2014 is considered not very friendly with the state-owned agency. However, it is also not that fuming to the PPA.
To make it worse, the PPA is marking a milestone in 2014. Imagine how frustrating it is for the management and employees to deal with the challenges in order not to spoil the milestone.
Challenges carried over from 2013
At the start of the year, the PPA immediately faces a gargantuan task, that is to immediately rehabilitate the ports affected by several disasters toward the latter part of 2013, first the Zamboanga siege in September that rendered the Zamboanga baseport battered and inoperational, then the 7-magnitude earthquake that rocked Bohol in October damaging and paralyzing almost all port operations in the Bohol area and the devastation of Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) in November wiping almost the entire provinces of Leyte and Samar including the ports.
The immediate reopening of the said ports affected are critical as it serves as the gateways to tourism and trade for the said regions and the longer the ports remain closed, the longer the ill effects of such to the lives of the people living in the said areas.
PPA, with the help of the Department of Transportation and Communications, as well as the national government, did not blink an eye and made sure that all stones are turned to make the lives of those affected immediately return to normal and will not any more impede growth in tourism and trade that also plays an important role in shaping the overall economic picture of the Philippines.
PPA spent millions upon millions of pesos rehabilitating and improving, not only the physical structure of the ports but most especially the services it offer to the public. PPA believes that the culture of PPA can be seen through the service it renders to the public, that is—unparalleled public service.
Right now, PPA is proud to say that all ports affected are operating in optimum condition and more than ready to give the service the public really deserves.
Manila City daytime truck ban
However, despite the strong character the PPA showed in facing these tasks, a month into 2014, it collided with the so-called Manila Port Congestion—a harm caused by the city government of Manila by implementing a total daytime truck ban to and from the city on February 24, thereby, disallowing trucks to ply major city roads beyond 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
The ban caused containers to pile-up inside the two Manila ports—composed of the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) and the Manila South Harbor (MSH)—to more than 110 percent and causing vessel queue along the shores of the Manila Bay. MICT and MSH are the country’s top 2 international gateway handling approximately 85 percent of the total foreign trade of the Philippines.
Again, the PPA showed strong character in facing this biggest challenge the PPA has ever faced since the imposition of the International Ships and Port Facility Security Code that was implemented sometime in 2006 by the International Maritime Organization.
Instead of howling over the implementation of the truck ban and engage the Manila city government in a head-on collision and make the media feast on it, PPA enforced a series of measures to adjust port operations based on the ordinance issued and reduce the effect of the ban, not only to the PPA but most especially to the entire Philippine economy.
Measures include the relocation of empty containers to Subic and Batangas and the relocation of customs-cleared and customs-problematic containers to Subic and the 21-hectare facility of MICT operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) in Cabuyao, Laguna, as well as the declaration of Subic and Batangas ports as extensions of the Manila ports.
For the past 10 months, PPA as well as the Cabinet Cluster on Port Congestion headed by no less than the Secretary to the Cabinet Jose Rene D. Almendras, has so far succeeded in making the MICT and MSH to operate almost normally despite the restrictions even if the Manila city government finally dropped its ordinance on trucks.
Right now, the combined yard utilization of the two ports is at 81 percent as of December 19, or about 1 percent above the 80-percent target set by the Cabinet Cluster.
While PPA General Manager Juan C. Sta. Ana and Almendras acknowledge that full port decongestion could drag to at least the first quarter of 2015, PPA is confident that it can reduce yard utilization lower than 80 percent before the end of the year with the help of the private sector.
On Tuesday the PPA general manager urged the business sector to withdraw their cargoes early and, if possible, double the volume of withdrawals in preparation for the 10-day holiday brought about by the celebration of Christmas and New Year, as well as the fast-approaching papal visit that is set from January 15 to 19, 2015. According to Sta. Ana, these long holidays can easily bring back yard utilization to near congestion level and could trigger port congestion if preemptive measures are not undertaken.
Some sort of good news
Nonetheless, despite the several setbacks, PPA has posted all-time high in cruise-ship arrivals, particularly in the Port Management Office of Puerto Princesa. This has dubbed the port as the “Cruise Shipping’s Next Big Thing.”
In the first quarter of 2014 alone, the PMO witnessed four cruise ships, namely, MV Costa Victoria, MV Europa 2, SS Adonia and MS Columbus 2, while MS Silver Discoverer and MV Caledonian Sky came in next. MS SuperStar Aquarius, meanwhile, started its voyage to the port on November 10 and will come every other week until March of next year.
Also, confirmed scheduled arrivals for 2015 are MV Azamara Quest, MS Albatross, MV Seabourn Sojourn, MV Legend of the Seas, MS Statendam and MV Europa.
To further support cruise tourism, the PPA is currently undertaking the improvement of so-called cruise tourism ports like Davao, Bohol, Boracay, Cebu, Manila, Puerto Princesa, Subic and Zamboanga, as well as Currimao in Ilocos Norte and Catagbacan also in Bohol.