Thursday, July 10, 2008 Ban on Sulpicio ‘hurting Cebu’
AUTHORITIES are being asked to allow Sulpicio Lines Inc. to resume operating its passenger vessels but only to transport cargo.
Business groups complained about the shortage of ships in Central Visayas to transport cargo, ever since government grounded Sulpicio Lines’ fleet after its flagship vessel sank in stormy weather last June 21.
“We are now experiencing inventory problems and higher freight costs resulting to higher prices of goods-particularly rice, meat, poultry, fish, milk, fruits and vegetables,” said a joint resolution of six business chambers.
The cargo ships were later allowed to operate. Sulpicio Lines industrial relations officer Roland de Leon has said all of Sulpicio’s 11 cargo vessels are operating, after being inspected by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).
But these are not enough, traders said.
The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mactan Island Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Cebu Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Lapu-Lapu Fil-Chinese Chamber and the Central Eastern Visayas Distributors Association passed a joint resolution asking authorities to lift the suspension of Sulpicio’s passenger vessels.
The business groups also asked Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to help convince government authorities to allow the grounded passenger vessels to resume operations.
Cebu depends on other regions for its supply of manufacturing goods and products, they pointed out.
“There is presently an artificial lack of marine vessels available to carry goods and agricultural products, resulting to higher costs and delays in the movement of goods and products,” the resolution said.
Service
The business groups disclosed that Sulpicio Lines provides 20 percent of cargo transport services.
But Department of Trade and Industry 7 Director Asteria Caberte said Sulpicio Lines handles about 40 percent of shipments in the country. It also covers many routes not serviced by other shipping companies. About 70 percent of its cargo operations are carried out by its passenger vessels.
“Without trivializing this marine tragedy and prejudging the outcome of the ongoing investigations, we feel that the lack of marine vessels to move the manufactured goods and agricultural products can be addressed should Sulpicio be allowed to operate its passenger vessels to carry cargo only,” the groups said.
Governor Garcia said she will support the request of the business groups.
Prices
“I will heed the clamor of our business sector to intercede not only for the business community but ultimately for the consuming public because this is going to affect the prices of goods,” said Garcia.
Garcia also said she is willing to face “even greater negative consequences and greater suffering” from the families of the victims for helping the business sector.
Caberte said yesterday that Trade Secretary Peter Favila met with Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza earlier this week to raise the business groups’ appeal.
Caberte said she raised the groups’ concerns to Favila, who then discussed it with Mendoza.
“What was agreed, although the official statement will come from Secretary Mendoza, is that passenger-cargo vessels of Sulpicio will be able to (operate) but can only carry cargoes, no passengers,” she told reporters yesterday noon after she talked Favila over the phone.
Caberte said she is “not in the position” to say when the suspension order on passenger vessels will be lifted but, she said it might be done “perhaps immediately or this week.”
Caberte said companies in Zamboanga are having problems with how to ship their cans of sardines to Iloilo because only Sulpicio is servicing the Zamboanga-Iloilo route.
“There is a possibility that eventually, our supply of goods and commodities will be affected, especially since we are an archipelago,” she said.
Caberte added that Sulpicio vessels will be audited per vessel, not by fleet.
“Once a vessel passes the requirements, it can go. When it travels and authorities later find out that it has not passed the requirements, it will be immediately grounded,” she said. (NRC/GMD)
