THE Alliance of Concerned Freight Forwarders, Inc. (ACFFO) is asking the national government to regulate charges levied on shippers, particularly charges for
import shipments. "The government should regulate import-related charges being shouldered by importers rendering prices of imported goods high. Eventually, this additional cost will be passed on to end users," ACFFO acting chair and SpeedTrans International Inc. president Editha Mu–oz told PortCalls. She said ACFFO members, all wholly owned Filipino companies, are hurting since these charges, like those levied for LCL cargoes, are too high. "Warehousing charges are too high. The government should control these charges and peg it to a more realistic level in order to spur more cargo activity and attract more foreign investors," Mu–oz explained. She stressed that the high cost of doing business in the country has dampened foreign investor interest in the country. Last year, ACFFO said imports were down 20% due to soaring charges aggravated by the still-volatile economy of the country. This year, ACFFO is anticipating an increase in import volume but
projects better activity in the export business. It sees a 20% to 30% increase in export volume shipments on the back of the country’s handicraft business.
