Container depots will issue their personnel bigger identification cards next year for easier identification of those demanding grease money.
Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines president Ruperto Bayocot told PortCalls that truckers requested for bigger ID cards “to identify (container depot) employees asking for kotong (grease) money.”
PortCalls sources said the amount of grease money solicited by CY workers from truckers to ensure yard space availability ranges from P1,000 to P2,000 per container following the onset of the Manila port congestion.
At the height of the congestion, some container yards registered utilization rates of more than 100%.
Container Depot Alliance of the Philippines (CDAP) president Carl Fontanilla said that during the Manila Ports Forum on November 27, truckers raised the issue of CY personnel asking for grease money.
“We told them that we have to work together to stop this if this is really happening. One measure is to properly identify the person so this bigger ID was proposed,” Fontanilla told PortCalls in a text message.
“We are campaigning against unauthorized charges and collection at the CY. This is one measure to help the truckers and, ultimately, the clients of the shipping lines,” Fontanilla added.
Earlier, CDAP also agreed to stamp the delivery order/equipment interchange receipt of truckers that have been diverted to other yards for lack of space. This is to effectively exempt the cargo owner or the customs broker from paying the detention fee (charged against the container deposit) and to provide a written basis for truckers to charge a diversion fee from the shipping line.
Fontanilla said the current inventory at CDAP-member yards has “slightly gone down,” partly helped by the opening of new container yards in Metro Manila. – Roumina Pablo
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