Select Page
72% of online buyers are females; techies aged 25-34 shop the most

72% of online buyers are females; techies aged 25-34 shop the most

by | Jun 28, 2023 | Gotcha

Stock image

GOTCHA

One who buys online a robot vacuum cleaner for only P250 or an iPhone for P2,500 is bound to be scammed. S/he needs to learn fast that not everything on the Net is true.

Shopping online is no different from the physical store. Smart buyers scrutinize the product, compare price and quality with other sellers, look for bargains and secure warranty.

Best to go with the flow. Eighty-six percent of Filipino buyers pay cash on delivery. Seventy-two percent are female; techies aged 25-34 make the most online purchases.

Tatay, lolo, kuya had better leave to wives, sisters, children and apo the research and selection of product. Even the purchase date: on “holidays” like July 7, Aug. 8, Sept. 9 and so on for big discounts, free deliveries and other come-ons. They’re more facile with e-wallets.

Shopee-Philippines has the highest number of online visits per month, 74.91 million, digital marketing firm Spiralytics reported last May. Next are Facebook Marketplace, Lazada and Carousell.

But Lazada seems the more popular household term, as in, “I-Lazada mo para hindi ka na ma-traffic.” Could it be because Lazada quickly attends to complaints and refunds? Or that its delivery men and women are prompt and friendly? Or that it legitimizes the informal sector and helps first-time sellers become full-fledged entrepreneurs?

Customer service is the new battleground for online retailers, Spiralytics said. Increased competition needs improved customer loyalty.

Speed is important, Spiralytics noted. Since e-commerce’s biggest sell is convenience, delivery times and reach are crucial. Online platforms are partnering with logistics networks to address these.

The stats dictate so. Philippine online selling was only $3 billion in 2019. Fifty-four percent of buyers made their first purchase during the pandemic lockdown; 73 percent of them continued even after lifting of restrictions. By 2022, volume hit $14 billion. Experts forecast a 15 percent rise to $16 billion this year, onto $24 billion by 2025.

Electronics are the hottest sellers online. Not far behind are food, fashion, health and beauty products. Plus spare parts, collectibles and business-to-business transactions.

Online buyers await those double-digit sales. 4.4, 5.5, 6.6 not only enable them to discover new wares. Sellers are able to clear inventories and earn for business expansion. Thousands get employed as delivery drivers, warehouse staff and customer service reps.

*      *      *

Ride-hailing/delivery service Grab Viber-ed a government official receipt for P10 million dated Apr. 27, 2021. That’s to correct my report that it still hadn’t paid the P10-million fine that LTFRB imposed on July 9, 2018. Thank you, Arvi Lopez, Grab country communications head, and Jika Dalupan, Universalis managing partner.

They didn’t have, however, a Report of Compliance that could’ve explained why it took Grab three years to pay. They referred me to LTFRB, which is media-averse.

In an earlier press statement, LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz said he holds a copy of the receipt, but showed none. No Report of Compliance either.

On record is a report to him by LTFRB’s Information Management System division, May 1, 2023, “2018 Decided Cases-Complaints.” It states: “Remarks – Respondent [My Taxi Ph Inc/Grab] to submit a Report of Compliance one week from the time the rebate has been fully implemented. Amount Paid, Official Receipt No., Date Paid – (blank).”

Guadiz, who joined LTFRB only in December 2022, denied the agency’s leniency towards Grab since 2013. But also on record are complaints by then-Rep. Jericho Nograles.

A 2014 joint administrative order by DOTr, LTO and LTFRB prescribed P5,000 fine for every count of overcharging of passengers. In 2018, Nograles said, that meant a P15-billion fine for Grab’s overcharging of three million passengers. But LTFRB slashed it to only P10 million, claiming that P15 billion was “unrealistic.”

Nograles pointed out the treatment of overcharging taxi drivers. Licenses suspended, they have to queue at LTFRB to pay a P5,000 fine in borrowed money to work again.

Past LTFRB board members quarreled over Grab. One of them, Ariel Inton, now with Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection, has pending complaints for unexplained surge charges. Too, against Grab’s backdoor entry into motorcycle taxi by buying 99.8 percent of MoveIt, one of only three outfits in Congress’ dry-run. Grab had been barred since it already dominates the four-wheeled market.

In Malacañang in January, Grab Holdings’ Singaporean CEO Anthony Tan bragged he could create 500,000 new jobs by expanding locally. LTFRB opened 50,000 slots for driver-partners. On June 21, Tan laid off 1,000 employees, 11 percent of Grab’s Southeast Asian workforce. Grab-PH did not say how many were affected, only that they’d be recompensed.

The Philippine Competition Commission fined Grab P9 million in May for failure to fully refund customers P25.45 million, ordered since 2019 and 2020.

* * *

Catch “Sapol” radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., dwIZ (882-AM)

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

How cranes-for-rent make commodities unaffordable

How cranes-for-rent make commodities unaffordable

by | Jun 23, 2023 | Gotcha

Philippine News Agency Photo

GOTCHA

Forced rental of cranes. That’s another racket at seaports that makes commodities costly.

Arrastre servicers control the wharfs. Only their cargadores may load and unload ship cargo to and from trucks. Most also provide stevedores who exclusively may board ships to pull out or stow cargo in the hold.

The Philippine Ports Authority wants quick, efficient arrastre and stevedoring. PPA compels servicers to provide enough cranes, forklifts, pallets, nets, pulleys, chains, ropes, manpower as part of their fees.

But they disobey. Most have no cranes. Forklifts and other equipment are few. On alibi of skilled-labor shortage, only four- to five-man gangs work per ship instead of the required 12.

Many of the 3,623 domestic cargo ships are too small and old to be fitted with front and rear cranes. And cranes frequently break down. The Cebu Ports Authority allows shipowners to park cranes on ground; those who do not own cranes may tap inexpensive lessors.

Most of the country’s 821 other ports give no such leeway. Port managers alibi lack of parking space or security risk. Most ports also do not operate round-the-clock but only in daytime.

Shipowners are obliged to rent cranes from the same arrastre/stevedoring firms that must provide the equipment as part of service fees. Rental cost: P3,500-P6,000 per hour, depending on lift tonnage. Minimum rent is for eight hours, or P28,000-P48,000 per crane.

Since cargo loading/unloading usually takes three days, shipowners rent cranes for P84,000-P144,000.

Worse if arrastre/stevedoring firms dispatch undermanned gangs. Loading/unloading can take ten days. Crane rental: P280,000-P480,000.

No receipts are issued for the forced rentals. Racketeers hide it from PPA. Shipowners pay rather than leave vessels idle in long queues at the wharf or anchored out of harbor.

Shipowners pass on the rental cost to client-shippers, who pass it on to consumers. Food, clothing, shelter, construction, schooling, health, communications and small-business materials become costly.

How much does the racket rake in annually? A vessel can make 25 port stops per year. Meaning, it must rent cranes 25 times for ten-day stretches, or P7 million-P12 million.

Multiply that by even only half of cargo ships, or 1,811: a staggering P12.7 billion-P21.7 billion, untaxed.

That’s the added cost of commodities Filipinos must bear. To think that they’re suffering the worst food inflation since the first three years of martial law, 1972-1975.

Will anyone care to tell President/Agriculture Secretary Ferdinand Marcos Jr. this?

*      *      *

Expect another price spike of foods and goods shipped through Manila ports – due to an increase in harbor pilotage/tug towing rates.

Everyday hundreds of shipowners who berth in Manila are required to pay the hefty fees. They charge these to shippers, who pass on the burden to consumers.

Unregulated pilotage/towing charges are among the many hidden sea transport costs that push up commodity prices. Agriculture and trade officials go after small overpricing retailers but ignore the port servicers.

Manila Harbor pilots have begun charging vessels P10,000 to dock and another P10,000 to undock – a 43-percent increase from the P7,000 imposed only six months prior.

Most pilotage/towing firms in the country’s 821 other ports may follow suit. Vessels that deliver to those ports will be charged higher docking/undocking rates. That can set off commodity price spirals.

Harbor pilots obligate shipowners to rent tugboats supposedly for safe towing in and out of piers. No exemption, not even for vessels that have their own tugboats.

Ships that don’t pay are barred harbor entry and must anchor out at sea. Those that do pay must handle cost of ship and pier damages caused by negligent pilots they’re forced to hire.

PPA is unable to enforce its much lower prescribed pilotage and towing fees.

The Manila Bay Harbor Pilots’ Partnership last April 14 notified cargo handler SeaFord Shipping of the rate increase. Other shipowners expect similar memos, stating:

“To: All operations clerk (sic) – North Harbor duty

“Subject: Increase in charges when using pilot launch to augment tug assistance during berthing/unberthing

“Despite of (sic) our recent increase to P7,000 last Nov. 2022, our cost evaluation on the expenses incurred when using our Pilot Launch being hired by the Agent to assist their vessel in augmenting the tug during berthing and unberthing at North Harbor; the overall cost for fuel, repairs and maintenance as well as allocating funds for drydocking, has dramatically increased, due to the increase of the above factors.

“The present charge per assist isn’t sustainable which compelled us to increase substantially, effective May 1, 2023 under the following rate:

“(1) SF vessels from P7,000 per assist to P10,000 per assist per pilot launch

“Please advise the Agent that using our pilot launch for mooring isn’t our mandatory obligation, but rather an extension of service to facilitate the smooth berthing/unberthing of their vessel.

“Should they opt to have another service provider to assist their vessel during the pilotage movement, the Pilot on-duty is compelled to use it.

“(Signed) Capt. Rogelio P. Taruc, Sr., Chief Pilot”

PPA prescribes only P41.70 to P300 pilotage/towing charge, depending on ship tonnage, 100 to over 5,000.

In Batangas, government and private ports collect P5,000 to P25,000 to berth/unberth. Usual in other ports is P5,000.

If all 3,623 local ships berth or unberth for P5,000 anywhere in one day, total pilotage/towing is P18,115,000. In one year that’s P6,611,975,000 in added cost to consumers.

* * *

Catch “Sapol” radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., dwIZ (882-AM)

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Alleged PNP ‘bribe conduit’ was actually the whistleblower

Alleged PNP ‘bribe conduit’ was actually the whistleblower

by | Jun 21, 2023 | Gotcha

stock image

GOTCHA

The Filipino named in a Quebec court case as “conduit” of bribes to the Philippine National Police is actually the one who tipped off Canadian authorities, sworn statements show.

Whistle-blower Rizalino Espino of Concept Dynamics Enterprises is also a victim of the “bribery, corruption, money laundering” that he exposed. Montreal-based Ultra Electronics Forensic Technology Inc. dumped him as sales rep in February 2018 with unpaid commissions.

From 2006 to 2016, two UEFTI execs persistently, illegally instructed Espino to bribe officers of the PNP and Department of the Interior and Local Government. He refused, since then-interior secretary Ronaldo Puno and brother Rodolfo Puno, head of the Philippine Road Board, endorsed UEFTI’s breakthrough ballistics information technology.

On April 3, 2018 Espino e-mailed new UEFTI president Brian Sinnot about the scam. Seeing no action, he reported the crime in August 2018 to the Canadian embassy’s Trade Commission officer, who in turn alerted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

 The following month RCMP agents came to Manila and took the depositions of Espino and partner, multi-awarded retired police general Efren Q. Fernandez. They turned over their smartphones so the agents can verify their depositions from text messages, e-mails and call logs.

In his 2018 e-mail and deposition, Espino swore that sales VP Philip Timothy Heaney and Asia-Pacific sales director Paul Wrensted insisted that he “process” (bribe) officials. He refused, as he was selling a “world standard” ballistics info system that Interpol had adopted and PNP thus needed in solving gun crimes. Thrice he told them to ignore certain “Kits” and “Doc” who were name-dropping the Punos.

To his “shock” on May 31, 2023, Espino was named bribery “mastermind” in a report by The Canadian Press. The news agency quoted an agreed statement of facts (ASF) between Canadian prosecutors and UEFTI lawyers in a remediation case.

 

The Quebec court fined UEFTI $10 million but deferred its prosecution under a new law that encourages reporting corporate misdeeds. Four former UEFTI execs are to be tried in separate criminal raps: founder Robert Walsh, ex-president Re?e Bélanger, director Michael McLean and Heaney.

Espino wrote The Canadian Press last Monday to straighten out the ASF’s “inaccuracies, selective disclosures, false and even defamatory” contents. For one, likely to avoid damage suits by Espino, it claimed that present UEFTI president Alvaro Venegas had received “an e-mail from a former sales rep” and promptly reported to authorities. Sinnot was president when Espino exposed the crimes in 2018.

Espino disputed two points in the ASF. One, that the Puno brothers allegedly took bribes. Two, that there was no victim, when he was in fact removed as sales rep, with commissions withheld, after UEFTI hired another Filipino company to do the bribing.

In his 2018 e-mail to Sinnot, Espino said he had bagged without bribery Phases 1 and 2 of UEFTI’s contract with the PNP, 2006-2015. At that time the Canadian firm was called Forensic Technology Inc. and had yet to be bought by Britain’s Ultra Electronics.

Phase 3 in 2016 would have capped for UEFTI a total of $17 million. Heaney and Wrensted were rushing to close the sale as promised to the new principals and repeated their orders to bribe. Still Espino refused. General Fernandez had by then left the partnership, when appointed by the Defense Department as assistant secretary for acquisitions and logistics because of his sterling reputation.

Espino ignored the foot-dragging by extortionate PNP officers, as he knew from experience that they would renew UEFTI’s superior ballistics system. Impatient for results, Heaney and Wrensted brought in a longtime PNP supplier whom McLean appointed to replace Espino.

UEFTI’s remediation or deferred prosecution is only the second such agreement with prosecutors under the new Canada law. Through The Canadian Press, Espino said he wishes “to call the attention of concerned parties to the apparent deficiency of the rules governing remediation agreements, particularly regarding court oversight and protection of victim’s rights.”

He said: “There is no check and balance against a possible error, or worse, connivance between the Prosecution and the Accused Company that would lead to a denial of a victim’s right to be recognized and compensated. This being just the second remediation agreement to be approved, there is still much to learn.

“Although I am not a citizen of Canada, it does not preclude me from aspiring for a better system that will benefit your society and the world. I hope this incident will somehow provide a spark that will lead to changes that will refine the Remediation mechanism. I am willing to cooperate with the relevant authorities to achieve this end.”

* * *

Catch “Sapol” radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., dwIZ (882-AM)

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Exposed: Canadian execs ‘bribed’ PNP for 12 years

Exposed: Canadian execs ‘bribed’ PNP for 12 years

by | Jun 16, 2023 | Gotcha

GOTCHA

A Canadian forensics firm bribed the Philippine National Police to use its ballistic identification technology over 12 years.

A Quebec court indictment mentions former Interior secretary Ronaldo Puno and his brother Rodolfo, Road Board ex-chief, along with the bribe conduit.

Unidentified, the PNP bribees are referred to only as “its chief and logistics director.”

Montreal-based Ultra Electronics Forensic Technology Inc. paid out $4.4 million to bag $17-million PNP contracts from 2006 to 2018. Four top Ultra executives are to be tried for foreign corrupt practices. The company was fined $10.5 million but not indicted under a Canada law that encourages whistle-blowing against corporate misdeeds.

A statement of facts attached to the case says Puno “was a key figure in securing the budget and ensuring the procurement of” Ultra’s ballistics identification product to solve gun crimes.

From September 2006 till January 2018, Ultra enlisted Manila “commercial agent” Rizalino Espino to help bag PNP contracts, the statement adds. Espino’s Concept Dynamics Enterprises was to receive percentage commissions, of which “a substantial portion” went to bribes.

Espino enlisted two Filipino businessmen for the scheme because of their “close relationship” with the Puno brothers, the statement says. The Punos served till 2010.

Another Espino associate, “a retired police general,” worked contacts within the PNP, “including its chief and logistics director.”

Bribes were “earmarked and promised to” public officials and others with “sufficient gravitas to exert some influence” on those involved with procurements.

Nine PNP directors-general served during the period.

Under Philippine processes, an end-user unit, in this case the PNP, submits its product and service needs to the mother agency, Department of the Interior and Local Government, for approval and funding. Officials routinely break the Procurement Reform Act of 2003 that requires publication and open bidding monitored by NGOs and the press.

The scam unraveled when a British company bought Ultra and the new president received a letter in April 2018 from a former sales agent detailing corruption. Alerted, prosecutors filed court charges.

The Quebec Superior Court approved in February 2023 the trial of the four dismissed execs and the deferred-prosecution deal with Ultra. Federal prosecutors issued the statement of facts on May 17, and distributed it to the Canadian press on May 31.

*      *      *

Nearly a ton of shabu worth P6.7 billion stashed in the office of an anti-narcotics sergeant protected by generals. That’s the biggest scam embroiling the PNP.

It comes after a series of corrupt procurements: two used civilian helicopters mislabeled as brand-new police versions, overpriced armored personnel carriers, defective boats and unsuitable motors, expired bullets, faulty handcuffs and 1,004 unusable AK-47 rifles that eventually were sold to the black market, including communist rebels.

The PNP often alibies that only a percent or two of its 228,000 personnel are scalawags. That’s still too many: 2,280 to 4,560 criminals in uniform – all on the loose.

Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos says only five of 965 generals and colonels were into narco-trafficking. He doesn’t mention how many and what rackets others are into.

The five narco-generals and -colonels can each command up to 250. That’s 1,250 potential “ninja cops” under them.

High officers jockey for plum provincial, regional and central headquarter directorships. Mimicking them, the rank and file seek assignment away from regular duties into special investigation divisions, special operations groups, special mobile forces, special reaction units, special weapons and tactics.

Foot and traffic patrols are left to barangay watchmen and civilian enforcers, who all want to be armed. Unlicensed firearms proliferate, numbering 2.5 million, accounting for gun offenses.

As of May, 539,000 personal firearms registrations were unrenewed, thus classified as loose, 9,700 of which are with cops and 9,200 with soldiers. Only 10,214 were confiscated from civilians.

Police visibility is the best crime prevention. Yet cops are hard to find and slow to respond.

Traffic always clogs around PNP’s Camp Crame GHQ in Quezon City. Can the brass at least deploy a few rookies in those intersections?

* * *

Catch “Sapol” radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., dwIZ (882-AM)

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Five years on, LTFRB hasn’t collected Grab’s P10-M fine

Five years on, LTFRB hasn’t collected Grab’s P10-M fine

by | Jun 14, 2023 | Gotcha

GOTCHA

 News about ride-hailing/delivery service Grab is often negative.

Those range from overcharging, abuse and monopolism. Most of all, spotty compliance with multimillion-peso government penalties.

Days ago the Philippine Competition Commission fined Grab P9 million. That’s due to Grab’s failure to fully refund customers three years after PCC ordered it.

PCC had imposed three refunds: P5.05 million in overcharges, November 2019; P14.15 million in unfulfilled voluntary commitments, December 2019; P6.25 million in more overprices, October 2020.

Grab claimed it couldn’t refund customers who don’t subscribe to its GrabPay Wallet or haven’t filled up its Know-Your-Customer form. PCC rejected the alibis.

The new P9 million is on top of previous P63.7 million in PCC fines.

Why is Grab so defiant? Why does it get away with violations?

Clearly, the Land Transport Franchising and Regulatory Board is coddling Grab. LTFRB officials are liable for corruption.

One case is open and shut. In 2018 LTFRB found Grab to have overcharged three million customers. Joint Administrative Order 2014-01 – among the Dept. of Transport, Land Transport Office and LTFRB – prescribes P5,000 fine for every count. That meant P15-billion total penalty for Grab.

But LTFRB disobeyed JAO 2014-01. It fined Grab only P10 million on pretext that P15 billion was “unrealistic.”

There’s worse. Five years after the “final and executory” fine of merely P10 million, Grab hasn’t paid and LTFRB hasn’t collected.

Proof is in a report to the LTFRB brass. Submitted Jan. 5, 2023, “2018 Decided Cases-Complaints” states:

• Date of Order – Sept. 7, 2018;

• Reference No. – CO-EB-2018-04-0039;

• Operator – My Taxi Ph Inc./Grab;

• Violation – Charging P2 per minute of travel time without authority;

• Fine/Penalty – P10,000,000;

• Remarks – Respondent to submit a report of compliance one week from the time the rebate has been fully implemented;

• Amount Paid, Official Receipt No., Date Paid – (blank).

Signatory was LTFRB Information Systems Management Division chief Nida Quibic.

Past and present LTFRB chairmen and members are liable.

The Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (R.A. 3019) is clear:

“Section 3(e). Causing any undue injury to any party, including the Government, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence.

“This provision shall apply to officers and employees of offices or government corporations charged with the grant of licenses or permits or other concessions.”

LTFRB is lenient with Singapore-registered Grab but strict with locals. Daily at LTFRB taxi drivers queue to pay P5,000 overcharging fine – which they had to borrow.

Since start of ride-hailing in the Philippines, LTFRB favored Grab against giant Uber. The sole competitor left. Small local outfits failed to gain market shares. GoJek, Indonesia’s largest, was barred for foreign ownership in excess of 40 percent in a public utility – an issue that LTFRB let Grab skirt.

Grab presently faces more overcharging complaints. “Surge rates” are arbitrary and unauthorized, says ex-LTFRB member Ariel Inton.

Aside from P45 sedan booking fee, Grab collects P2 per minute plus P15 per kilometer, then doubles that during rush hours. But rush hours can be any time of day or night based on Grab’s secret algorithm, “thus subject to abuse,” says Inton, now head of Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection.

Grab also collects P85 base fare for rides less than four kilometers to, it says, “discourage short trips.” Discriminatory, Inton rails.

Grab is muzzling into the motorcycle-taxi sector, consumerists cry. In August 2022, Grab told the Securities and Exchange Commission it had acquired 99.8 percent of MoveIt, one of only three firms allowed in the government’s dry run.

Quasi-judicial SEC can cancel Grab’s corporate registration for repeated breaches.

Grab’s Malaysian cofounder-CEO Anthony Tan has mastered Filipino bureaucratic “kalakaran” (mode).  Last January he hosted a banquet for President Marcos Jr.’s 75-man delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

In a subsequent Malacañang meeting, Tan dazzled Marcos Jr. and LTFRB officials claiming he can employ half-a-million Filipinos. That can only happen if he alone is allowed to expand ride-hailing, delivery, motorcycle-taxi nationwide. Meaning, LTFRB should let him alone accredit drivers.

* * *

Catch “Sapol” radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., dwIZ (882-AM)

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Seaport ‘delihensiya’ makes food, commodities costlier

Seaport ‘delihensiya’ makes food, commodities costlier

by | Jun 9, 2023 | Gotcha

GOTCHA

Last April the Dutch survey vessel m/v Fugro Equator combed Philippine waters off northwest Luzon for the sunken Japanese military warship Montevideo Maru. A World War II US submarine had torpedoed the latter in 1942. It was carrying 1,060 Allied prisoners of war, mostly Australians, some Americans and Europeans.

Australia commissioned Netherlands-based multinational Fugro for the search that took five years to plan. In only 12 days Fugro Equator, one of the world’s most advanced and well-equipped hydrographic surveyors, found the wreck 4,000 meters deep. That closed a grim chapter in international military and maritime history. Fugro Equator proceeded to the southern Indian Ocean to look for the nine-year missing Malaysian Airline MH 370.

Days prior, Fugro Equator notched another first. On March 31 it moored at La Union’s Poro Point harbor to take in 19 Filipino crewmen and unload four. The Departments of Transport, of Labor and of Foreign Affairs had long wanted foreign ships to do that in Philippine shores. It would spare Filipino seafarers the expense and effort of flying to and from European or American ports to start and end yearlong work stints.

Officials of the three departments, Coast Guard, Bureaus of Quarantine, of Immigration and of Customs attended the ceremony. Government-owned Poro Point Management Corp. hailed in its Facebook page “PPMC’s first international crew change” and Fugro Equator as a “special service survey vessel.”

But something soured Fugro Equator’s voyage. On entering La Union’s Poro Point Freeport, it was required to hire a puny local tugboat to tow it to dock and later back out to sea. Tug operator Polaris Top Marine Service Corp. charged it a staggering P500,000.

Officials of the three departments, Coast Guard, Bureaus of Quarantine, of Immigration and of Customs attended the ceremony. Government-owned Poro Point Management Corp. hailed in its Facebook page “PPMC’s first international crew change” and Fugro Equator as a “special service survey vessel.”

But something soured Fugro Equator’s voyage. On entering La Union’s Poro Point Freeport, it was required to hire a puny local tugboat to tow it to dock and later back out to sea. Tug operator Polaris Top Marine Service Corp. charged it a staggering P500,000.

Fugro Equator is 1,917 gross tons. Going by the Philippine Port Authority’s (PPA) “negotiated rationalized pilotage fees”, it should have been charged only $110 for tow-in and $110 for tow-out of ships up to 5,000 tons. Total: $220, or P12,000.

But Poro Point is under PPMC, not PPA. A subsidiary of Bases Conversion and Development Authority, PPMC sets its own rules.

PPMC harbor pilotage-towing contractor Polaris’ March 31 billing stated that its “docking/undocking service” took only 61 minutes, 0731H-0832H, for which it charged P500,000.

Polaris’ March 31 official receipt detailed the time frames:

• Time left terminal, 0731H;

• Time alongside vessel, 0738H;

• Time start assisting, 0740H;

• Time finish assisting, 0823H;

• Time arrival at base, 0832H.

Actual “assisting” took only 43 minutes. But the tugboat’s sail time from terminal and back to base was billed to Fugro’s Singapore office.

Foreign shipmasters have no choice but to dock at Poro Point’s deeper waters, so just bear and pass on the pilotage/towing fees to shippers. Domestic counterparts and shippers purposely avoid it.

The Philippines has 821 ports (as of 2019). PPA manages those that are government-owned and oversees private ones.

Most ports have exclusive pilotage/towing contractors. PPA’s published rates are much lower than Poro Point’s. But as reported many times in Gotcha, disobedient contractors charge hundred times more.

Example: Most of the 3,623 locally registered cargo ships (as of 2021) are 1,000-3,000 gross tons. PPA rate is P139.20. Actual charge by pilotage/towing firms: P5,000-P25,000.

Notably, this doesn’t happen at the Cebu Port Authority, also separate from PPA, because it has four competing port management contractors. The solution to exorbitant port rates is obvious: government must de-monopolize ports; more management contractors beget more pilotage and other subcontractors.

Like foreigners, local shipowners just pay and pass on the charges to shippers. If they complain, contractors gang up on them. Shippers in turn pass on to consumers.

Result: costly commodities, from the smallest shampoo sachet, nail and calamansi to home furnishings, roofing sheets and frozen meats.

And that’s just with pilotage/towing. Shipowners have to contend with port congestion, and shippers with Customs extortionists.

* * *

Catch “Sapol” radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., dwIZ (882-AM)

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Site Terms & Conditions (scroll down for the buttons)

This site, jariusbondoc.com, is free for your use.

However, we do have some terms and conditions which you can find below. By continuing to use or to read from this site, that means you understand and agree to comply with the terms and conditions.

I. PRIVACY POLICY

This privacy policy (“policy”) will help you understand how jariusbondoc.com uses and protects the data you provide to us when you visit and use https://jariusbondoc.com/ (“website”, “service”).

We reserve the right to change this policy at any given time. If you want to make sure that you are up to date with the latest changes, we advise you to frequently visit this page.

 

What User Data We Collect

When you visit the website, we may collect the following data:

  • Your IP address
  • Your contact information and email address
  • Other information such as interests and preferences
  • Data profile regarding your online behavior on our website

 

Why We Collect Your Data

We are collecting your data for several reasons:

  • To better understand your needs
  • To improve our services and products
  • To send you promotional emails containing the information we think you will find interesting
  • To contact you to fill out surveys and participate in other types of market research
  • To customize our website according to your online behavior and personal preferences

 

Safeguarding and Securing the Data

jariusbondoc.com is committed to securing your data and keeping it confidential. jariusbondoc.com has done all in its power to prevent data theft, unauthorized access, and disclosure by implementing the latest technologies and software, which help us safeguard all the information we collect online.

 

Our Cookie Policy

Once you agree to allow our website to use cookies, you also agree to use the data it collects regarding your online behavior (analyze web traffic, web pages you spend the most time on, and websites you visit).

The data we collect by using cookies is used to customize our website to your needs. After we use the data for statistical analysis, the data is completely removed from our systems.

Please note that cookies don’t allow us to gain control of your computer in any way. They are strictly used to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not so that we can provide a better experience for you.

If you want to disable cookies, you can do it by accessing the settings of your internet browser.

 

Links to Other Websites

Our website contains links that lead to other websites. If you click on these links jariusbondoc.com is not held responsible for your data and privacy protection. Visiting those websites is not governed by this privacy policy agreement. Make sure to read the privacy policy documentation of the website you go to from our website.

 

Restricting the Collection of your Personal Data

At some point, you might wish to restrict the use and collection of your personal data. You can achieve this by doing the following:

 

  • When you are filling the forms on the website, make sure to check if there is a box which you can leave unchecked, if you don’t want to disclose your personal information.
  • If you have already agreed to share your information with us, feel free to contact us via email and we will be more than happy to change this for you.

 

jariusbondoc.com will not lease, sell or distribute your personal information to any third parties, unless we have your permission. We might do so if the law forces us. Your personal information will be used when we need to send you promotional materials if you agree to this privacy policy.

 

II. COPYRIGHT NOTICE

All materials contained on this site are protected by the Republic of the Phlippines copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of jariusbondoc.com or in the case of third party materials, the owner of that content. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.

However, you may download material from jariusbondoc.com on the Web (one machine readable copy and one print copy per page) for your personal, noncommercial use only.

If you wish to use jariusbondoc.com content for commercial purposes, such as for content syndication etc., please contact us at jariusbondoconline@gmail.com.

Links to Websites other than those owned by jariusbondoc.com are offered as a service to readers. The editorial staff of jariusbondoc.com was not involved in their production and is not responsible for their content.

 

III. TERMS OF SERVICE

 

  1. GENERAL RULES AND DEFINITIONS

 

1.1 If you choose to use the jariusbondoc.com service (the “Service”), you will be agreeing to abide by all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement between you and jariusbondoc.com (“jariusbondoc.com “).

 

1.2 jariusbondoc.com may change, add or remove portions of this Agreement at any time, but if it does so, it will post such changes on the Service, or send them to you via e-mail. It is your responsibility to review this Agreement prior to each use of the Site and by continuing to use this Site, you agree to any changes.

 

1.3 If any of these rules or any future changes are unacceptable to you, you may cancel your membership by sending e-mail to jariusbondoconline.com (see section 10.1 regarding termination of service). Your continued use of the service now, or following the posting of notice of any changes in these operating rules, will indicate acceptance by you of such rules, changes, or modifications.

 

1.4 jariusbondoc.com may change, suspend or discontinue any aspect of the Service at any time, including the availability of any Service feature, database, or content. jariusbondoc.com may also impose limits on certain features and services or restrict your access to parts or all of the Service without notice or liability.

 

  1. JARIUSBONDOC.COM CONTENT AND MEMBER SUBMISSIONS

 

2.1 The contents of the jariusbondoc.com are intended for your personal, noncommercial use. All materials published on jariusbondoc.com (including, but not limited to news articles, photographs, images, illustrations, audio clips and video clips, also known as the “Content”) are protected by copyright, and owned or controlled by jariusbondoc.com or the party credited as the provider of the Content. You shall abide by all additional copyright notices, information, or restrictions contained in any Content accessed through the Service.

 

2.2 The Service and its Contents are protected by copyright pursuant to the Republic of the Philippines and international copyright laws. You may not modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale of, reproduce (except as provided in Section 2.3 of this Agreement), create new works from, distribute, perform, display, or in any way exploit, any of the Content or the Service (including software) in whole or in part.

 

2.3 You may download or copy the Content and other downloadable items displayed on the Service for personal use only, provided that you maintain all copyright and other notices contained therein. Copying or storing of any Content for other than personal use is expressly prohibited without prior written permission from jariusbondoc.com or the copyright holder identified in the copyright notice contained in the Content.

 

  1. FORUMS, DISCUSSIONS AND USER GENERATED CONTENT

 

3.1 You shall not upload to, or distribute or otherwise publish on the message boards (the “Feedback Section”) any libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise illegal material.

 

3.2 (a)Be courteous. You agree that you will not threaten or verbally abuse jariusbondoc.com columnists and other jariusbondoc.com community Members, use defamatory language, or deliberately disrupt discussions with repetitive messages, meaningless messages or “spam.”

 

3.2 (b) Use respectful language. Like any community, the Feedback Sections will flourish only when our Members feel welcome and safe. You agree not to use language that abuses or discriminates on the basis of race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual preference, age, region, disability, etc. Hate speech of any kind is grounds for immediate and permanent suspension of access to all or part of the Service.

 

3.2 (c) Debate, but don’t attack. In a community full of opinions and preferences, people always disagree. jariusbondoc.com encourages active discussions and welcomes heated debate in our Feedback Sections. But personal attacks are a direct violation of this Agreement and are grounds for immediate and permanent suspension of access to all or part of the Service.

 

3.3 The Feedback Sections shall be used only in a noncommercial manner. You shall not, without the express approval of jariusbondoc.com, distribute or otherwise publish any material containing any solicitation of funds, advertising or solicitation for goods or services.

 

3.4 You are solely responsible for the content of your messages. However, while jariusbondoc.com does not and cannot review every message posted by you on the Forums and is not responsible for the content of these messages, jariusbondoc.com reserves the right to delete, move, or edit messages that it, in its sole discretion, deems abusive, defamatory, obscene, in violation of copyright or trademark laws, or otherwise unacceptable.

 

3.5 You acknowledge that any submissions you make to the Service (i.e., user-generated content including but not limited to: text, video, audio and photographs) (each, a “Submission”) may be edited, removed, modified, published, transmitted, and displayed by jariusbondoc.com and you waive any moral rights you may have in having the material altered or changed in a manner not agreeable to you. You grant jariusbondoc.com a perpetual, nonexclusive, world-wide, royalty free, sub-licensable license to the Submissions, which includes without limitation the right for jariusbondoc.com or any third party it designates, to use, copy, transmit, excerpt, publish, distribute, publicly display, publicly perform, create derivative works of, host, index, cache, tag, encode, modify and adapt (including without limitation the right to adapt to streaming, downloading, broadcast, mobile, digital, thumbnail, scanning or other technologies) in any form or media now known or hereinafter developed, any Submission posted by you on or to jariusbondoc.com or any other website owned by it, including any Submission posted on jariusbondoc.com through a third party.

 

3.6 By submitting an entry to jariusbondoc.com’s Readers’ Corner, you are consenting to its display on the site and for related online and offline promotional uses.

 

  1. ACCESS AND AVAILABILITY OF SERVICE AND LINKS

 

4.1 jariusbondoc.com contains links to other related World Wide Web Internet sites, resources, and sponsors of jariusbondoc.com. Since jariusbondoc.com is not responsible for the availability of these outside resources, or their contents, you should direct any concerns regarding any external link to the site administrator or Webmaster of such site.

 

  1. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

5.1 You represent, warrant and covenant (a) that no materials of any kind submitted through your account will (i) violate, plagiarize, or infringe upon the rights of any third party, including copyright, trademark, privacy or other personal or proprietary rights; or (ii) contain libelous or otherwise unlawful material; and (b) that you are at least thirteen years old. You hereby indemnify, defend and hold harmless jariusbondoc.com, and all officers, directors, owners, agents, information providers, affiliates, licensors and licensees (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all liability and costs, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees, incurred by the Indemnified Parties in connection with any claim arising out of any breach by you or any user of your account of this Agreement or the foregoing representations, warranties and covenants. You shall cooperate as fully as reasonably required in the defense of any such claim. jariusbondoc.com reserves the right, at its own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you.

 

5.2 jariusbondoc.com does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement, or other information displayed, uploaded, or distributed through the Service by any user, information provider or any other person or entity. You acknowledge that any reliance upon any such opinion, advice, statement, memorandum, or information shall be at your sole risk. THE SERVICE AND ALL DOWNLOADABLE SOFTWARE ARE DISTRIBUTED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES OF TITLE OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. YOU HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK.

 

  1. COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN JARIUSBONDOC.COM AND MEMBERS

 

6.1 If you indicate on your registration form that you want to receive such information, jariusbondoc.com, its owners and assigns, will allow certain third party vendors to provide you with information about products and services.

 

6.2 jariusbondoc.com reserves the right to send electronic mail to you for the purpose of informing you of changes or additions to the Service.

 

6.3 jariusbondoc.com reserves the right to disclose information about your usage and demographics, provided that it will not reveal your personal identity in connection with the disclosure of such information. Advertisers and/or Licensees on our Web site may collect and share information about you only if you indicate your acceptance. For more information please read the Privacy Policy of jariusbondoc.com.

 

6.4 jariusbondoc.com may contact you via e-mail regarding your participation in user surveys, asking for feedback on the Website and existing or prospective products and services. This information will be used to improve our Website and better understand our users, and any information we obtain in such surveys will not be shared with third parties, except in aggregate form.

 

  1. TERMINATION

 

 

7.1 jariusbondoc.com may, in its sole discretion, terminate or suspend your access to all or part of the Service for any reason, including, without limitation, breach or assignment of this Agreement.

 

  1. MISCELLANEOUS

 

8.1 This Agreement has been made in and shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the Republic of the Philippines law. Any action to enforce this agreement shall be brought in the courts located in Manila, Philippines.

 

8.2 Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, nothing in this Terms of Service will serve to preempt the promises made in jariusbondoc.com Privacy Policy.

 

8.3 Correspondence should be sent to jariusbondoconline.com.

 

8.4 You agree to report any copyright violations of the Terms of Service to jariusbondoc.com as soon as you become aware of them. In the event you have a claim of copyright infringement with respect to material that is contained in the jariusbondoc.com service, please notify jariusbondoconline.com. This Terms of Service was last updated on November 7, 2020.