MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang declared Monday that the congestion at the Port of Manila has been resolved.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the operations at the Port of Manila have been completely normalized with the combined efforts of the Cabinet cluster on port decongestion and the technical working group of various agencies.
"Since November 2015, more cargo has been moved at a faster rate than prior to the congestion. By February 2015, the benefits of the a fully decongested port is in place," Lacierda said in a press briefing, reading a statement from the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.
"There was a time that the ports and all the container yards were flooded with empty containers. As of the end of February 2015, this is no longer the situation," Lacierda added.
He said the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. and the Asian Terminals Inc. showed improved efficiency in the utilization of ports to facilitate the flow of trade and cargo.
The enhanced truck ban hours and routes have also ensured the efficient flow of cargo without causing traffic congestion.
Lacierda also explained that the resolution of the port congestion was a long process complicated by many factors such as ship scheduling, loaded and empty container handling and the truck ban hours.
"Although most of the solutions were implemented early in the last quarter of 2014, the sheer volume of the backlog needed several months to be resolved," Lacierd said.
Among those that constricted the cargo movements were the long Christmas holidays, Typhoon "Amang," the feast of the Black Nazarene and the visit of Pope Francis in January.