Barter goods prices up coz of boat trip cancellations
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 24 March) — Prices of barter goods here are up, not as an effect of oil price hike but due to scarcity of supply.
Mark Basaluddin, president of the Canelar Trading Center, said about 45 20-footer container vans loaded with barter goods are awaiting shipment in Sandakan, Malaysia since the first week of February.
The shipment was put on hold after the Department of Transportation (DOTr) grounded the whole fleet of Aleson Shipping Lines following the sinking of one of their roll on-roll off vessels in the seas off Basilan on January 26 this year.
Basaluddin said the traders have paid half of the amount for their orders, usually consisting of Malaysian noodles, chocolate wafer, coffee, malong, shawl, and more.
He said only Aleson Shipping Lines has regular trips to Malaysia. There are smaller water crafts but these are not capable of carrying volumes of cargoes.
Basaluddin said he has sought the assistance of the local government unit to reinforce their appeal before DOTr to allow the resumption of Aleson’s cargo vessels.
Transport Secretary Giovanni Lopez announced the grounding of Aleson’s passenger fleet a day after M/V Trisha Kerstin-3 sank in the waters off Baluk-Baluk Island in Hadji Muhtammad town.
Sixty-six people have died in the tragedy, while 12 remain missing.
As part of their investigation, a thorough maritime safety audit was conducted by the Maritime Industry Authority and Philippine Coast Guard, not only with Aleson vessels, but with other shipping lines to ensure maritime safety compliance.
But even after the inspection was completed, cargo vessels have yet to be given the green light to resume their operations.
Basaluddin says soon, stalls at the Canelar Trading Center might close shop, as there will be no more stocks left. “Probably by May or June, wala nang barter goods dito,” he lamented.
The Canelar Trading Center is a usual stop-over for both domestic and foreign tourists visiting the city.
A five-pack bundle of Malaysian spicy noodles usually costs ₱120 – ₱135. It now costs ₱180-₱200.
A box of chocolate wafer sticks used to cost ₱180. A stall now sells their last box at ₱480.
Basaluddin said he has confronted their members about the drastic price increase. The traders explained that they bought new stocks at a higher price from stores outside the center.
Supply chain disrupted
Apart from barter goods from Malaysia, cargoes from Cebu have yet to be shipped to Zamboanga.
Pedro Rufo Soliven, regional governor of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Aleson also services the Zamboanga-Cebu route.
Many stores in Zamboanga get their construction supplies and processed food from Cebu.
Soliven said that although they respect the investigation into the January 26 maritime incident being initiated by government agencies, a balance must be achieved so as not to disrupt the supply chain.
“They have two franchises, one is the carrier which is purely cargo, and the other is the passenger fleet. We see now that a big portion of our cargoes are being serviced by Aleson,” Soliven said.
He added that business owners have been trying to look for alternate vessels that could transport their cargoes from Cebu to Zamboanga to no avail. (Queenie Casimiro / MindaNews)
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