Government addresses high shipping costs and port congestion; public consultation on Joint Administrative Order conducted

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Finance (DOF), and  Department Transportation (DOTr),  jointly organized a public hearing on the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) that will tackle the long outstanding issues of high shipping costs, port congestion, and inefficient container handling that adversely affect the importers, exporters, and the consumers in general. DTI Undersecretary Rowel S. Barba (2nd left) presided over the public hearing  on February 14, 2019, which was attended by foreign shipping lines, truckers, customs brokers, container yard operators, terminal operators, and exporters to gather comments and recommendations before the finalization of the draft regulation.  He was  joined by DOTr Undersecretary Fernando Juan Perez (2nd right), Bureau of Customs Deputy Commissioner Edward James Dy-Buco (left) and Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) General Manager Jay Santiago.  Parties are requested to submit inputs and proposals to the draft JAO on or before February 21, 2019.