CPA defers collection of increased foreign cargo handling fee to next year

| CPA photo

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — The Cebu Port Authority (CPA) has decided to defer for a year the collection of the five percent increase in the handling charges for foreign cargoes.

This means that the additional charge will be implemented starting on October 1, 2021 yet, the CPA said in an advisory.

CPA General Manager Leonilo Miole signed in September 2019 Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 12-2019 which authorizes the collection of a 10 percent across-the-board increase in foreign cargo-handling tariff excluding cement, iron, and steel products.

Read: CPA GM Miole: Cebu port to have one-stop-shop for crew change soon 

The CPA advisory said that the increase was to be implemented in two tranches.

The first tranche of which was already implemented starting October 2019.  The second tranche was supposed to be scheduled for implementation starting on Thursday, October 1, 2020, but CPA Resolution No. 833-2020 passed by the Cebu Port Commission (CPC) postponed its effectivity to next year.

“The deferment of the increase is one of the initiatives and interventions of the CPA with our partner cargo handling service provider, Oriental Port and Allied Services Corporation (OPASCOR) to help aid the income losses due to the operational and travel restrictions brought by COVID-19 to the maritime sector. This is good news for all our shipping liners, exporters, importers, logistics providers and other port stakeholders,” Miole said.

As of August 2020, all ports managed by the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) in the province handled a total of 39,209,491 metric tons (MMT) of cargoes, 23.45 percent or 9,214,442 metric tons (MMT) of it are foreign cargoes./dbs