Subic Bay truck operators have reinstated an organization that will represent the industry and highlight its concerns as container volume continues to grow at Subic port.
Subic Integrated Truckers Association Philippines, Inc. (SITAP) has replaced the inactive Subic Bay Haulers Association, according to SITAP president Ronald Quintinio (RC Quintinio Hauling, Inc.).
Besides “active growth” of cargo volume at Subic port, another factor for the reactivation of the group was the request by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) for a trade association to represent local trucking industry in meetings, Quintinio told PortCalls after the group’s induction as affiliate member of the Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines (CTAP).
One of SBMA’s priority areas for this year is the development of the maritime and logistics sector, which contributes the highest share of revenues to the Freeport.
Other officers of SITAP are Nathaniel Fedalizo (Next Frontier Transport Service), vice president; Ma. Lourders Laquian (Wooing Logistique Phils., Inc.), treasurer; Eric Vincent Tengui (TG&P Trucking), auditor; Jolly Capitulo (J.M. Capitulo Trucking), secretary; Benjamin Bryan Go (Sinfa Logistics, Inc.), PRO; and board member/director Romeo Maningding, Jr. (AIM High Phil. Logistics, Inc.)
For now, the group has 10 member operators with a combined fleet of about 300 trucks. Quintinio said there is a plan to grow membership, regulate fly-by-night operators, and have truckers seeking accreditation with SBMA automatically become members of the organization.
Asked if the current number of trucks serving the volume at Subic port is enough, the SITAP chief said it is. He noted that since the group is now a member of CTAP, SITAP members can operate in Manila ports, as accreditation with CTAP is a prerequisite to doing this. – Roumina Pablo
