CPA orders moratorium on fees imposed on domestic vessels affected by COVID-19 travel restrictions

| Photo courtesy of the Cebu Port Authority

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – The Cebu Port Authority (CPA) will not be collecting berthing and anchorage fees for domestic vessels that were affected by government restrictions implemented as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The directive is contained in Administrative Order No. 2, which imposes a “moratorium on the collection for berthing fees (domestic) and fees/rentals for areas and spaces inside the passenger terminal buildings of the authority.”

General Manager Leonilo Miole’s AO shall take effect from March 16, 2020 to June 30, 2020 or until such time that all domestic cargo and cargo-passengers vessels are already allowed to resume operations “or whenever normal port operation shall have resumed, whichever comes first.”

Travel restrictions

On March 8, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Proclamation No. 922 to declare a State of Public Health Emergency in the country to allow the government to address the spread of COVID-19.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia also issued Executive Order No. 5-F series of 2020 to prohibit the entry of arriving passengers at the ports of Cebu.

In his Executive Order No. 052, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella also prohibited passenger arrivals in the city’s ports, except cargo deliveries of essential goods.

Taking the three orders into consideration, the Authority implemented the closure of all passengers terminals here for a period of 30 days starting on March 18.

Miole signed Administrative Order No. 2 to allow the implementation of a moratorium on the following:

• Berthing fees for domestic vessels on hold departure;
• Anchorage fees for domestic vessels on hold departure;
• Permit fees or rental for concessionaire spaces, stalls, booths, check-in counters at CPA Passenger Terminal Buildings (PTBs) and similar commercial spaces at the CPA Baseport and Subports which ceased operation due to the government-imposed COVID-19 quarantine measures.

“Provided that the moratorium on the payment of Berthing fees (Domestic) and Anchorage fees (Domestic) shall only be for the duration of their hold departure period pursuant to the government-imposed COVID-19 quarantine measures,” Miole said in his order.

Vessels that were not cleared for departure to its next port of call due to COVID-19 quarantine measures, “shall be exempt from payment of berthing or anchorage fees, as the case may be, for the duration of its hold-departure period.”

But all domestic cargo and cargo-passengers vessels that were allowed to continue to operate shall not be covered by the moratorium, it added.

“However, considering that they too have suffered and continue to suffer the effects of the pandemic and the imposition of COVID-19 quarantine measures, by way of support of the Authority and in recognition of the valuable services that they are providing for the unhampered flow of goods during this crisis, the said vessels shall be assessed only on a per day basis pursuant to existing rates prescribed by the Authority.” /bmjo