BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – The Visayas Container Terminal (VCT) in Barangay Loboc, La Paz district is projected to increase importation and exportation opportunities in the city and province of Iloilo.
With such a prospect, Mayor Jerry Treñas has asked the Iloilo Provincial Government for a dialogue to discuss data on imports and exports in Iloilo.
Treñas said a review of the seven-year data showed an increasing trend.
However, the mayor pointed out the “wide gap” between the total local imports and exports since Region 6 is still a “net importer.”
“Recognizing this, it is imperative to support and elevate procedures, and to maximize the utilization of the VCT to its fullest capacity,” said Treñas.
“Additionally, we aim to map out services and gather inputs from national government agencies, aiming to gain a comprehensive understanding of the procedures necessary for successful import and export processes and to explore potential collaboration and partnership in this field,” read Treñas’ letter to Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.
With the active collaborations of the Capitol and City Hall, Treñas said they can “further stimulate and enhance” the local economy of both government units by maximizing the import and export opportunities brought about by the improvement of containerized terminals.
The mayor’s request prompted Governor Defensor to convene the officials of the Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion Office (LEDIP) on Monday afternoon.
They discussed the existing and potentially exportable products and plans ahead of the full operations of the newly rehabilitated terminal.
They also brainstormed on how to fully utilize the import and export opportunities and expedite the development of products and agriculture produce for imports.
“With the coming in of the VCT in the operation of the PPA port bringing with it its rich experience in port operation and its substantial capital expenditures in improving port operation we expect huge economic benefits to the island and region,” said Iloilo Provincial Administrator Banias.
He said the governor suggested the need to attract corporate capital to develop and improve the value chain of low-lying products like bangus, pineapple, banana, crabs, mango, and rice.
“These are the fundamental products we need to develop and add value which Gov. Toto (Defensor) keeps on repeating instead of relying on the slow process of developing the micro small and medium enterprise (MSME) which primarily should address the needs of our burgeoning tourism industry,” said Banias.
Banias said Defensor gave his assurance to support such an initiative to further enhance export potentials with the rehabilitation of the new containerized terminal.
The VCT owned by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) has started rehabilitating the old. The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) issued it with a notice to proceed with the P10.53-billion containerized VCT.
The Razon-led port operator confirmed on April 15 that it received the notice to proceed with the port development from the PPA and the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC).
ICTSI has secured the 25-year concession to develop and manage the VCT with a total project cost of over P10.5 billion.
“This 25-year concession strengthens ICTSI’s presence in the Philippines and will unlock the economic potential of the Western Visayas region,” ICTSI said.
In a statement, the ICTSI said it will focus on improving terminal productivity and service quality by investing in the development and rehabilitation of the terminal infrastructure and the deployment of cargo-handling equipment.
VCT serves as a vital gateway for the province of Iloilo, the entire Panay Island, and the wider Western Visayas region.
Its natural harbor in the Panay Gulf, sheltered by Guimaras Island, provides a safe and ideal environment for ships and vessels.
While the seaport plays a crucial role in regional trade, capacity, and efficiency constraints have held back its full potential.
The port will be operated exclusively to serve foreign vessels and cargoes, with a provision for domestic vessels and cargoes in the initial five years.
The seaport handles a current volume of 100,000 TEUs and 2 million metric tons of non-containerized cargo annually.
The commercial port spans 627 meters of operational quay length and 20 hectares of land for container and general cargo storage, warehousing, and other cargo-handling activities. It serves the province of Iloilo and Panay Island in Western Visayas.
Data from PPA showed that cargo throughput in Visayas reached 38.1 million metric tons from January to September last year, or about 19 percent of the total cargo volume across the country during the period./PN
