Philippine truckers are again asking the government to open the use of Roxas Boulevard from 12 midnight to 5 a.m. after the visit of Pope Francis so they can carry out deliveries to and from the southern part of Luzon and preempt another cargo buildup.
Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines (CTAP) president Ruperto Bayocot told PortCalls in a phone interview they have sent a letter to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) requesting that they be allowed to ply Roxas Boulevard during the five-hour window after the papal visit next week.
Pope Francis is in the Philippines from Jan 15 to 19.
Last month, CTAP sent a similar request to the MMDA after the agency announced it would implement a six-month truck ban on Roxas Boulevard starting December 3 last year.
MMDA, in response to the request of truckers and Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, who heads the Cabinet Cluster on Port Congestion, allowed trucks to traverse Roxas Boulevard for their nighttime deliveries but only from December 17 to December 22.
Following the ban and in lieu of Roxas Boulevard, MMDA had provided trucks their old route for use in deliveries to and from the South. However, the truckers said the old route entailed an additional three hours of travel time and increased their fuel expenses by 100%.
Bayocot earlier said the Roxas Boulevard ban would affect not only Cavite-bound shipments but the whole Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) area, where “more or less 40% of the total daily withdrawal from MICT (Manila International Container Terminal) and South Harbor” goes.
The partial opening of Roxas Boulevard to trucks will help in the decongestion efforts for the Port of Manila, said Bayocot.
He added that the long Christmas celebration served to increase yet again the utilization level at the Port of Manila and that it might take a month to decongest the port of cargoes that had accumulated over the weeklong holiday break.
He said withdrawal of cargoes during the holiday period had been very minimal because the Bureau of Customs and the banks were closed even as the discharge of cargoes from vessels continued.
Bayocot warned there would also be a pileup of containers during the five-day special holiday from January 15 to 19 to mark the papal visit. – Roumina Pablo
