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Friday, September 23, 2005
Ports authority urged to adopt austerity measures
By Ryan Rosauro
OZAMIZ CITY -- Local legislators here have urged the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) to institute austerity measures in its terminal operations here to avoid additional cost burdens to passengers.
In a resolution passed unanimously Tuesday, the city council made this appeal in connection with PPA's plan to increase terminal fee by 50 percent.
Based on PPA's planned measures to raise additional revenues, terminal fee of ferry passengers will be hiked from P2 to P3, and from P10 to P15 for passengers of inter-island vessels.
The increase is meant to tide over its passenger terminal operations from losses, recoup investment in newly installed equipments for security check, and cover for expected increases in other expenditures.
From a usual P5.46 million in operating expenses, PPA's port management office (PMO) here expects it to rise to some P6.84 million, an increase of P1.38 million.
Of the total increase, around P647,000, or close to half is spend on additional janitors.
At present, the passenger terminal employs 10 janitors. This number is to be added by 10 more.
Councilor Irene Luansing Jr. said hiring additional personnel would unduly burden passengers with expenses that are ultimately passed on to them.
"While we recognize the logic of PPA's plan, it must also share in bearing the cost burden in terms of keeping its operation efficient and so reduce or avoid the incurrence of additional expenses," she explained.
The city councilors also asked PPA to review its "above normal" compensation rates for its access to janitorial and security services.
A security guard is paid P10,035 per month while a janitor gets P5,393. Luansing said compensation levels in the local market for these services are around 20 percent lesser.
The city councilors further asked PPA to spare ferry passengers from the increase in terminal fee, a similar stand taken by the business sector.
(September 23, 2005 issue)
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