The city government’s Pantalan Inter-Agency Committee (PIAC) recently reiterated its appeal to all owners or operators of private wharves, ports and shipyards operating with the territorial jurisdiction of Zamboanga City to register their facilities pursuant to City Ordinance 553, which regulates the establishment, construction, expansion, operations and proliferation of ports, wharves, shipyards and other similar structures in Zamboanga City.

In a meeting presided over by Assistant City Administrator for City Affairs Dolph Saavedra at City Hall Conference Room Thursday, April 4, the committee was to deliberate on the PIAC applications as the registration policy has long been imposed since the enactment of Ordinance 553 in 2021.

City Agriculturist Arben Magdugo, head of PIAC Secretariat, reported during the meeting that per survey the city has had 88 fish landing wharves/ports and 12 shipyards, however, 15 of which cannot be located anymore at present.

He further said of the 73 ports and shipyards that were accounted for, only 10 had submitted their applications to PIAC, of which only two had completed the documentary requirements.

The two compliants were DMC-CERI Inc. shipyard in Recodo, and Permex Producer and Exporter Inc. wharf in Ayala, to which the PIAC members voted for the “no objection” resolutions.

According to him, the eight non-compliant applicants had been invited to Thursday’s PIAC meeting purposely to deliberate on their pending applications, but not one of them had showed up.

Magdugo said letters with reference to Ordinance 553, its implementing rules and regulations, and the process of application had already been sent out to at least 45 port/shipyard operators for them to comply with the requirements. Similar communication will also be sent soon to the rest of the concerned port/shipyard operators.

Created under Ordinance 553, the PIAC warned that non-compliants of the requirements for application/registration despite repeated notices will be dealt with accordingly based on the ordinance.

The PIAC will issue show cause notice, cease and desist notice and/or demolition/removal order to non-compliants wharves, ports and shipyards.

Lastly, Saavedra assured of the “ease of doing business” with PIAC in terms of submission of requirements for registration.

Meanwhile, the Task Force Pantalan, a sub-committee of PIAC, will meet anytime this month, preparatory to the conduct of a new inventory and monitoring of ports, wharves and shipyards in the city, purposely to update the existing list of docking facilities/structures as surveyed about six years ago yet.—(Vic Larato)