ARTA nixes PPA proposal to curb port congestion

By Othel V. Campos

THE Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) thumbs down the proposed implementation of the Philippine Port Authority’s (PPA) Trusted Operator Program - Container Registry and Monitoring System (TOPS-CRMS) after a thorough reevaluation of the regulatory impact assessment of the project.

ARTA Secretary Ernesto Perez attested to the impartiality of the review which according to him was not influenced by external factors.

“Our re-evaluation was diligent, and it stands as our final recommendation, unless either party provides relevant additional documents,” Perez said.

Based in its findings, ARTA recommends that PPA explore cost-effective alternatives to address potential congestion without burdening stakeholders. However, the final decision on implementing the regulation rests with the PPA and the PPA Board.

ARTA conducted the re-assessment on request of various stakeholders to be affected by the proposed regulation.

The re-evaluation process is pursuant to ARTA’s mandate to review the proposed regulation by the PPA under Section 17 (g) of Republic Act No. 11032, or the Ease Doing Business Law.

The agency released the report to relevant agencies last July 25.

The re-evaluation process, based on several grounds, considered valuable input and data from both government agencies and private stakeholders.

A key concern for re-evaluation was the PPA’s statement during a June 2023 consultation meeting, stating that there is currently no port congestion. This contradicts the system’s intended purpose, as stated in the submitted RIS.

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