THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) has issued interim operational guidelines for International Container Terminal Services, Inc.’s (ICTSI) dry port facility in Calamba City, Laguna.
In a statement, Christian R. Gonzalez, ICTSI senior vice-president and head of the Asia Pacific region, said the Laguna Gateway Inland Container Terminal (LGICT) is expected to improve the flow of trade in southern Luzon.
“As an extension of the seaport, specifically ICTSI’s flagship Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), the Laguna dry port is at the heart of manufacturing activities. We are bringing the trading gateway at the doorstep of the economic zones… The interim operational guidelines will give us headway in priming the dry port for container volumes in the coming months,” Mr. Gonzalez said.
BoC Commissioner Nicanor E. Faeldon issued Customs Memorandum Order No. 12-2017 dated June 14, 2017, providing guidelines on clearance procedures for incoming and outgoing shipments at the LGICT. The memorandum was issued pending the approval of a BoC administrative order on accredited customs facilities and warehouses, and consistent with the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) of 2015.
LGICT is the first off dock, or inland, container yard in Southern Luzon. The 21-hectare dry port is also the first customs facility under the CMTA. The BoC in February certified LGICT as an authorized off dock customs facility, thus enabling the BoC to extend its functions at the dry port.
Designed to accelerate trade facilitation in the region, LGICT is the first customs facility in the country to use the electronic cargo tracking system for inbound and outbound cargo transfers. Currently, a fleet of reach stackers, empty handlers and prime movers are in operation at the terminal.
Mr. Gonzalez said LGICT is about to complete a one-stop shop with the offices of the BoC and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).
“In the near future, we will commission rubber tired gantries in the container yard, construct container freight stations and warehouses, and in the soonest time possible, revive freight rail services between Laguna and the Port of Manila,” Mr. Gonzalez said.
LGICT, established in 2015, is a joint venture of ICTSI, Nippon Container Terminals Co. Ltd., and Transnational Diversified Corp. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo
