DAVAO CITY—A home-grown cargo-handling firm is throwing its all-out support to the proposed modernization of Sasa Port to address the growing demand of cargo ships docking at Davao’s main port.
Harry Lopez-Chua of Filipinas Port Services (Filport) said modernizing the Sasa Port would improve services and result in faster turnaround, while an additional space would accommodate some new equipment.
He said currently, the port handling remains traditional using only short cranes. If there is improvement in cargo handling, it is private-initiated to improve their service and cope with competition.
Lopez-Chua said the modernization of the Sasa Port is needed given the increasing volume of cargoes unloaded here.
He told reporters during Monday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM Davao that the city is also booming. In fact, he noted the growing volume of construction materials, particularly cement and billets (raw material for steel), being unloaded at the port. Compared to previous years, Lopez-Chua said the frequency of ships unloading construction materials is sometimes averaging three from two, with total volume of cargoes at 18,000 metric tons.
The ISO-certified Filport, which has been operating as cargo-handling group for 40 years now in Davao City, is seeing how demands are growing.
The Sasa Port modernization project, which was supposed to be undertaken under the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme, has been put on hold after stakeholders, and the city government questioned its project amount, from P4.5 billion to P19 billion.
Last year the Department of Transportation (DOTr) conducted a review of the project on the cost- financing scheme and the period of implementation.
A modernized Sasa port would improve trade access to Mindanao and the Philippines by providing a dedicated containerized port; support the growing agroindustrial sector; assist in creating an enabling environment and model for private- sector participation in port infrastructure through the development of a financially sound PPP scheme; and boost economic activities in the region and Mindanao.
Lopez-Chua was hopeful the modernization of Sasa pushes through. The port is accessible for the majority of shipping lines and exporters/importers.
He said that, despite the development of the Davao International Container Terminal in Panabo that offers a modernized cargo-handling services and bigger space, Sasa Port remains the major port of call for most cargo ships.
21 February 2017
By Philippine News Agency
