THE premier port of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) in Polloc, Parang, Maguindanao is now back in the international trading scene after languishing for some time due to perceptions of instability in the Armm.
The peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that led to the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in 2013 convinced traders that the situation in Armm is now stable. They also noted the pro-business attitude of the autonomous regional government after the election of Regional Governor Mujiv S. Hataman in 2013.
Today, Polloc Port received an international vessel from Vietnam carrying 8,400 metric tons of cement. This is not the first time that Polloc Port received a shipment of cement from abroad since in 2006, cement from China was also imported through the port without any hitches after all the certifications and documentations were complied, in particular the product standards required by the government.
This time the brand of cement imported in Polloc Port is from Vietnam. The said brand after being tested rigorously passed the standards required by the Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) of the Department of Trade and Industry for cement importation.
Hence, for this shipment of imported cement, the BPS issued the necessary certification and documentation including its source or origin, which was validated by the provincial office of the Department of Trade and Industry, as well as, the Bureau of Customs. All duties and tariffs were assessed and it is expected that full payment will be made before it enters the common market.
The administration of Polloc Port with the support of the entire autonomous regional government hopes to promote more shippers and shipping firms to use Polloc Port for their domestic and international trade.
Hexan Mabang, OIC port manager, said that the importation of cement “could be the start of something big” for the Port of Polloc as traders gain confidence in using the port for their international trading activities.
For his part, Regional Board of Investments chairman Ishak Mastura, who is a lawyer and was responsible for doing the due diligence for cement importation in Polloc Port in 2006, said “I am glad that after such a long hiatus, traders have began to use Polloc again for trading of such an important and basic commodity as cement after complying with all the requirements for such importation, which the autonomous regional government has always facilitated for the benefit of the region and the consumers.” pr
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