The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) plans to review its regulation requiring stakeholders to secure a permit-to-operate (PTO) to avoid duplications with its new accreditation rule requirements.
The review is part of PPA’s reassessment and streamlining of all its transactions and processes in line with the implementation of Republic Act (RA) No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, said Lilian Javier, PPA Port Operations and Services Department manager, during a press conference on September 23.
Javier said the port authority will be studying whether the PTO requirement can be merged with the new accreditation process under PPA Administrative Order (AO) 06-2019. Or if the PTO will still be required, the agency will see what changes can be done depending on the requirements of the ports and their localities.
AO 06-2019 requires all port service providers, including customs brokers, shipping lines and agents, freight forwarders and truckers, to secure accreditation from PPA. Under AO 06-2019, which took effect last month and repeals AO 10-2018 (guidelines on the accreditation of port service providers) issued in October 2018, accreditation shall be valid in all ports under PPA’s jurisdiction.
READ: PPA requires accreditation for all port service providers
If the PTO is still needed, Javier assured that PPA will not require the same documents required for accreditation. She added that her department will also propose extending the PTO’s validity to three years from one, similar to the three-year validity for accreditation.
Some stakeholders, particularly from sectors that previously were not required accreditation, have, however, raised concerns on AO 06-2019, saying it runs counter to promoting ease of doing business since PPA already requires a PTO for every port the stakeholders operate in.
In particular, customs brokers, truckers, and domestic shipping lines are asking to be exempted on from accreditation, pointing out that they already comply with accreditation requirements from various other government agencies.
In an interview with PortCalls on July 9, PPA general manager Atty. Jay Daniel Santiago said the new accreditation policy was issued because “we need to know who are inside the port. We need to make sure na yung pumapasok dyan [those who enter there] we properly vetted them, that they are running a legitimate business, that they have a legitimate reason why they are in the port.”
He clarified that PPA would respect certification secured by other port service providers from other government agencies and would not require them to produce any new documents.
AO 06-2019 covers the following: customs brokerage, shipping agent, shipping line, transport service/cargo forwarding/freight forwarding/hauling/trucking/shuttling/bus, roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) service, ESM, bunkering, booking/ticketing office, canteen service, cargo checking service, cargo-handling service, cargo surveying service, chandling, cleaning service, engineering contractor, container repair, communication service, equipment hire, equipment repair, fumigation, laundering, lighterage/barging service, and mooring/unmooring.
It also encompasses passenger terminal service, pilotage service, port terminal service, parking/garage service, reproduction service, shop/store, towing/tugging service, vessel repair/maintenance, waste disposal service, water supplier, water taxi, weighbridge/truck scale, and other businesses and services that may be classified by PPA as port service.
Javier, meanwhile, said PPA is also embarking on a computerization program that will include the accreditation process under AO 06-2019, in compliance with the requirements of RA 11032. The program has already undergone “electronic utilization and testing” in some ports, she said.
PPA National Capital Region South acting port manager Eligio Fortajada, in a chance interview with PortCalls on September 12, noted that many stakeholders have already applied for accreditation under AO 06-2019, and that PPA has been consistently approving such applications in a matter of days. – Roumina Pablo
