Tuesday, July 01, 2008 Shipment of goods By Nancy R. Cudis and Debra M. Estero Sun.Star Staff Reporter, Correspondent
BUSINESS organizations in the province call for a fast resolution of the Sulpicio Lines tragedy that prompted government to ground all its passenger and cargo ships of the shipping company.
“Sulpicio Lines is a major player in cargo shipments and (the hold order) will affect the flow of goods,” said Eric Ng Mendoza, president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), during a phone interview yesterday.
The MCCI, though, has not yet received any complaint from member-companies affected by the hold order. Other business organizations and industry groups have also not heard from members in relation to the suspension of operations of Sulpicio Lines ships.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry have also not received any complaint.
Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza last week ordered the suspension of operations of all passenger and cargo vessels of Sulpicio Lines, pending the investigation on the sinking of m/v Princess of the Stars.
But Roland de Leon, industrial relations officer of Sulpicio Lines, told Sun.Star Cebu over the phone yesterday that all of
Sulpicio’s 11 cargo ships are still operating.
He said the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has already inspected the cargo ships. “Only the passenger ships are grounded,” he said in Visayan.
Tragedy
MCCI’s Mendoza said no one in the group raised the concern. But he said that it is possible that there are some Cebuano businessmen who had cargoes onboard the m/v Princess of the Stars.
“But they take it as a tragedy they have to bear,” Mendoza said.
Jun Monzon, secretary general of the Mactan Island Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI), echoed Mendoza’s suspicion.
He said the MICCI board will ask its members if any of them are affected by the Sulpicio Lines incident during the group’s board meeting on Thursday.
The Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport)-Cebu also did not receive any complaint from members of its eight cluster industries: gifts, toys and houseware; fashion accessories; furniture; industrial goods; garments; food; seaweed; and electronics. But it is not dismissing the possibility that there are companies that have been affected by the incident.
Philexport Cebu advocacy and information officer Jun Abines said it is possible that some companies are still checking their inventories before coming up with a formal complaint.
While the grounding of the ships could affect the delivery of cargo to member-companies, Abines said there are other shipping companies that can handle shipment.
Besides, he said, not all raw materials come from Manila or abroad. “We also get our supply of raw materials from Central Visayas,” he added.
Once a formal complaint is lodged, Philexport will help the complainants reach concerned agencies.
DTI 7, on the other hand, advised businesses to file their complaints related to the grounding of Sulpicio Lines ships at provincial DTI offices for formal mediation process.
Mendoza said the MCCI board can call for a special meeting and determine what actions it can do to help the Mandaue businessmen whose businesses are hampered by the grounding of Sulpicio ships.
Mendoza told Sun.Star Cebu that as a businessman, he sympathizes with the people who are affected by the tragedy and at the same time understand the plight of the shipping company.
“It is not an easy task,” he said, adding that with the limited resources and technology, “nobody was prepared enough” to
handle such an incident.
“But the willingness of the company to compensate for the loss is there,” Mendoza said. (DME/NRC)
