The Aduana Business Club, Inc. (ABCI) is planning to hold a truckers’ and customs brokers’ holiday on March 8 to protest the implementation of some provisions of the Terminal Appointment Booking System (TABS), the online booking platform for trucks servicing Manila International Container Terminal and Manila South Harbor.
ABCI director Abraham Rebao told PortCalls the association will also call a press conference on February 29 to drum up support for the protest.
The group is against the TABS points payment and penalties scheme which will be implemented starting March 14, noting these are expensive.
Under the points payment system, slots booked through TABS will be paid in points. One point is equivalent to P1; the number of points to be paid will depend on the zone to be booked.
Penalty for late arrivals (trucks that come two hours after their booked slot) is P1,625. No shows, or trucks that arrive three hours or more after their appointment, will be fined P3,251.
The Philippine Society of Filipino Customs Brokers, Inc. has earlier asked government to discontinue the implementation of TABS. Organization members complained of difficulty in booking which, in turn, has led to delivery delays; additional costs and expenses for storage and demurrage due to cargo’s prolonged stay at the port; and non-transparency in the number of slots available for booking.
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