Customs exec aims to have port with containerized facility

THE newly assigned officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Eastern Visayas region is aiming for a containerized facility in Leyte province.

Christopher Bolastig, OIC chief of the BoC, said he already had an initial talk with some local chief executives in Leyte who expressed their support on his plan.

He added that this project is in partnership with the Philippine Ports Authority that directly manages ports in the country.

“This is part of our long term plan to partner with the local government units who could help us in developing a port with a containerized facility within the province of Leyte,” Bolastig said.

The beauty of having a port with containerized facility is that foreign ships can immediately dock in ports in our region and unload their containerized shipments, he added.

“Right now, we don’t have that kind of facility that is why no ships are coming to the region,” Bolastig said.

Once this project materialize, this would have a positive effect to the local economy, especially among consumers as commodities and products cost would be lessen its prices while it would mean increase of their collection on duties and taxes.

At present most of the ports in the region has no containerized facilities prompting businessmen to transport first their products to Cebu before going to the region, resulting in the increase of product costs. (Leyte Samar Daily Express)