THE Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is keeping a status quo on rental rates and service providers for ancillary services at the North Port, formerly the Manila North Harbor.
A PPA source said the agency is still conducting further studies on proposals by North Port operator Manila North Harbour Port, Inc (MNHPI) to jack up rental rates and revise procedures in the accreditation of ancillary service providers.
MNHPI is a joint venture between Harbour Centre Port Terminals, Inc and food and beverage giant San Miguel Corp.
The proposal for higher rental faces strong opposition from domestic shipping lines.
The new procedures for accreditation of ancillary services, on the other hand, are also on hold; they should have taken effect last June 1, 2011.
“Even the (North Port) detailed engineering plan has not yet been approved pending several revisions being asked by PPA management,” the PPA source, who requested anonymity, said.
Since last year, MNHPI has been seeking to increase rental rates at North Port. Two months ago, MNHPI canceled all lease agreements at the port in preparation for the higher rates.
Based on its proposal, MNHPI will increase rental rates by 87.5% to P150 per square meter (sqm) from the current P80. The proposal is 62.5% higher than MNHPI’s earlier planned hike of 25%.
