The Department of Transportation and Communications plans to improve the freight-forwarding sector, although it still needs to get the supervision and regulatory powers from another agency.
Transport Undersecretary Maria Elena Bautista said the department has included the freight- forwarding industry in the National Transport Plan on the premise that the industry’s supervision will be transferred to Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) from the Philippine Shippers’ Bureau before the year ends.
The plan, which will be implemented by the next government as it will be out by 2010, is designed to charter a better and seamless transport of cargo and people throughout the country.
On the drawing board since 2006, the plan seeks to incorporate all modes of transportation and reduce the cost of doing business in the Philippines, but political issues that hounded the Arroyo administration have mired the implementation of the plan.
Bautista, who is also officer in charge of Maritime Industry Authority, said the initiative is meant to pump prime the freight-forwarding industry.
“We are including the industry” into the transport plan “with the impending transfer of supervision and regulation of the forwarding industry to Marina as there is a vacuum in the existing procedure,” Bautista said.
“Hopefully with such regulation and supervision powers given to Marina, it would be easier to have the industry included in the plan as it will be under one department with the air and rail industry,” she added.
An executive order empowering Marina to hold such powers over freight forwarders is now with the Office of the President and is expected to be signed before the year ends.
The EO will also empower Marina to regulate the charges billed by local and international shipping lines to guarantee that shippers are billed with the exact charges.
According to the plan, the government will have mass transportation, such as the elevated railway lines of the MRT and LRT connected to airports, and seaports, as well as railroad and truck holding stations for the efficient transfer of passengers and goods in the country.
Major international gateways will also be linked by railroad to the northern and southern Luzon for shippers to have a faster means of transporting their products. Truckers will also have their own holding areas for security and disposition to ease congestion in Philippine ports.
The plan involves the integration of 31 airports, 28 seaports and seven railway systems. It will serve as the core of integrated transport system in the Philippines to handle the bulk of the country’s tourists and freight service.
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