The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has introduced a set of measures to help port users manage rising operational costs amid fuel price increases.
SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño said the initiative supports the directive of Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., under Executive Order No. 110, which placed the country under a national energy emergency due to ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
Aliño explained that the measures are intended to ease financial strain on key sectors, particularly transport and food industries, by accelerating cost-mitigation efforts.
He noted that stabilizing expenses is crucial to maintaining investor confidence and preventing disruptions in the flow of goods.
The initiative is expected to create a ripple effect across the supply chain, benefiting importers, suppliers, consignees, vessel operators, and consumers through corresponding adjustments among terminal operators, cargo handlers, brokers, shipping agents, and related service providers.
SBMA said it will enforce a five percent reduction in tariffs for commercial vessels, covering harbor dues, berthing or anchorage fees, and harbor cleaning charges.
Cargo-related fees, including wharfage and storage, will also be reduced by five percent.
The agency will likewise cut its share in several port service charges by the same margin. These include pilotage, hauling, tugboat services, heavy equipment rentals, line handling, chandling, water delivery, container cargo handling, and bunkering services.
Non-containerized cargo will be granted free storage, along with a two-day extension of the standard free storage period.
Additional support will come from the temporary suspension of selected charges, including SBMA shares collected from terminal operators and cargo handlers for liquid bulk cargo activities, the one percent admission fee for liquid bulk, and the planned ten percent increase in handling and miscellaneous charges for general cargo.
Aliño said the measures will take effect immediately upon approval and ratification by the SBMA Board of Directors. He added that these will remain in place while geopolitical tensions persist.
Aliño said these will be lifted through a formal issuance once conditions stabilize, with the board approval.
SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Port Operations Ronnie Yambao said the agency estimates around P76 million in total financial relief for 2026 over a one-year period.
Of this amount, approximately P49 million is expected to come from direct tariff reductions, while the suspension of new policies could yield about ?25 million in annual savings for stakeholders and domestic consumers.
Yambao added that the extension of free storage periods is projected to generate an additional P2 million in operational savings for port users within the same period.
