NARAMDAMAN na ang epekto ng coronavirus disease 2019 sa kita ng Philippine Ports Authority.
Noong Marso ay kumita ang PPA ng P300.93 milyon bumaba ng 79 porsyento kumpara sa kinita nito noong Marso 2019 na nagkakahalaga ng P1.401 bilyon.
Bumaba ng 25 porsyento ang kita ng PPA sa unang tatlong buwan ng taon na nagkakahalaga ng P2.538 bilyon. Sa unang quarter ng 2019 ay P3.337 bilyon ang kinita ng PPA.
Tumaas ng kita ng PPA sa Manila North Harbour Port Inc. ng 3.75 porsyento pero bumaba naman ang kita ng International Container Terminal Services, Inc., (8 porsyento) at Asian Terminals, Inc. (15 porsyento).
“As early as January, there has been a slowdown in the movement of cargo as China, being the location of several transshipment hubs and a number of large manufacturing firms, has imposed necessary restrictions to control the spread of the dreaded disease,” ani PPA General Manager Jay Santiago.
Nagpatupad ang China ng lockdown noong Enero 23. Nagpatupad naman ang Duterte government ng Enhanced Community Quarantine noong Marso 15.
“Hopefully, with the relaxation of some restrictions on trade, we will be able to arrest the downward trend in the next couple of months particularly when the country is already able to lift its restrictions on some trade and commercial processes,” ani Santiago.
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