The Bureau of Customs (BOC)-Port of Legazpi announced on Wednesday that the first international container line in Bicol will start its operations in March and eyed to bring PHP1 billion monthly collection.

Segundo Sigmund Freud Barte Jr., Bureau of Customs (BOC) acting district collector, made the announcement during the BOC “Regional Stakeholders Meeting” at The Oriental Hotel here.

Accredited exporters, business sector leaders, local government unit officials and local enterprise owners attended the confab.

“We are expecting the Eagle Express, represented by the Regional Container Lines (RCL) by March. If we have the market, bukas darating yung mga containers (The containers will come tomorrow), they will come,” Barte said.

RCL is a Thai-based container shipping line company with some 40 years of experience.

In an interview on the sidelines of the meeting, Barte expressed his optimism about collecting PHP3 billion in revenues for 2024, not considering the expected operation of RCL beginning March.

“We are very hopeful that we can achieve the target, we can double the PHP1.8 billion from 2023. As compared to the actual collection in January to February 2023 which is PHP136 million, the port was able to collect PHP589 million for the same period in 2024. We are hopeful that we will achieve the target,” Barte said.

Among the products that are being handled in the ports in Bicol region are fuel, rice, cement, and coal.

Barte noted that the BOC-Port of Legazpi now conducts paperless transactions in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to digitalize. (PNA)