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Tuesday, May 27, 2003
CPA, Customs officials mull ID system to secure int’l port
By Elias O. Baquero
OFFICIALS of the Cebu Port Authority (CPA), Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Oriental Port and Allied Services Corp. (Opascor) agreed yesterday to strictly implement an ID system to rid the Cebu International Port (CIP) of bad elements.
Eduardo “Wewe” Lao, deputy district collector for operations of the BOC Port of Cebu, made the suggestion to prevent any person from entering CIP if they have no business at the port.
Lao said he wants to minimize, if not eliminate, all illegal activities at the CIP while he is the deputy district collector for operations.
In the past years, several seized imported goods in container vans disappeared from the CIP because unauthorized persons who were allowed entry were able to claim cargoes using fake documents.
Aside from the ID system, CPA General Manager Mariano Martinez said his agency will put up additional fence to prevent the entry and exit of unscrupulous people at CIP.
Opascor president Benjamin Akol said his cargo handling firm has no authority to hold cargoes because Opascor is just a service provider and has no responsibility to release cargoes.
“With BOC and CPA clearance, Opascor will release cargo,” Akol said.
Although CPA has control and supervision over all ports in Cebu, Martinez said, “We don’t to step on their (BOC and Opascor) duties.”
Florencio Anib, CPA division manager for CIP, said the construction of a secondary fence at CIP will separate the foreign cargoes from the domestic shipments, and prevent any activity that could hamper the operation of vessels.
On the other hand, Customs Wharfinger Angel Go suggested to Martinez to reconnect electricity to their office at CIP, which was cut off by CPA for almost a year now.
Go said that of the more than P200,000 in unpaid electric bills, the BOC can only afford about P76,000.
Martinez assured the restoration of the power connection to the wharfinger’s office immediately after partial payment of the bills.
Martinez said they have to collect the amount due because it is recorded with the Commission on Audit.
(May 27, 2003 issue)
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