The Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Iloilo is ready to accommodate import and export container cargo services from different economic hubs of the world, District Collector Julius B . Premediles has said.

Premediles, through the Iloilo City Government’s Local Economic Development Investment Promotion (LEDIP) office on Tuesday, said they are committed and ready to serve international container arrivals through the new management of Visayas Container Terminal (VCT).

The project, he said, will be a big boost to their operation, especially to their import and export services.

The city government has been meeting with stakeholders in preparation for the redevelopment of the Iloilo Commercial Port Complex (ICPC) in Barangay Loboc, Lapuz district.

The International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) bagged a 25-year concession contract to develop and operate the port facility as VCT.

“We organized meetings to help VCT because the mayor (Jerry P. Treñas) has promised red carpet assistance. This means everything that they need from us we will help them. We will customize the kind of services because the ripple effect is very big,” Lao said.

The LEDIP office and the BOC Iloilo clarified false information that the latter does not have export services, as mentioned by one of the participants during their meeting two weeks ago.

“It’s not true that they don’t have the services because they have all the services like aside from the collection of revenue, they supervise and control containerized cargoes, they also do prevention and suppression of smuggling, and supervise foreign vessels and aircraft,” she added.

Lao said readily the BOC, which is already automated, can approve and release in two to three days as long as requirements are complete in compliance with the Ease of Doing Business.

“With the coming in of the VCT, we can expect an increase in the volume of direct imports and exports because businesses can have huge savings if they go through direct,” she added. (PNA)