SURIGAO CITY – Motorbanca operators and crew, as well as shippers transporting cargoes to the islands of Dinagat and Siargao, will now have an easier time transacting business with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) as an on-site service station at the Port of Surigao’s motorbanca berths started operation on Sept. 1.
Dubbed the Inter-Island Services Station, the facility is an on-site business center located near the Port of Surigao’s Gate No. 7, and is well within the vicinity of the shipping berths allocated for motorbancas serving routes bound for the ports of Dinagat and the Siargao group of islands from Surigao City.
With online terminals connected to PPA computerized applications like iPORTS and Oracle AFMS, motorbanca clients paying port charges and withdrawing cargoes now have the convenience to transact business onsite, and need not go to the Port Integrated Clearance Office (PICO) located at a considerable distance from the motorbanca berths.
Furthermore, motorbanca operators and crew can now seek and apply for vessel entrance and departure clearance procedures at the service station.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, motorbanca operations at the city boulevard were transferred to the Port of Surigao in the middle of 2020 to facilitate the effective implementation of health and safety protocols among passengers and crew of shipping vessels serving the island-bound routes.
With the growing number of clients transacting business at the PICO due to the transfer of motorbanca operations, maintaining the required minimum standards for physical distancing and other health protocols at the PICO has been a challenge. Thus, this initiative was pushed through. (NNusog) (PPA-PMO Surigao) – jlo
