The organizing head of the Davao Investment Conference 2021 (Davao ICon 2021) urged shipping lines, investors, and importers to ship via Mindanao which is cheaper and less congested than through Manila.
Ricardo “Cary” Lagdameo, president of Damosa Land Inc. (DLI) and chairman of this year’s Davao ICon, said that this is one thing that a lot of people is not aware of that it is cheaper to ship or import through Mindanao and distribute to the rest of the country rather than importing through Manila where there’s more congestion and the shipping rates are more expensive going south.
“I would encourage importers to look at the reverse and we do have several of them that are doing that already. We have less congestion, domestic shipping is cheaper going the other way around and now something in Davao gives you access to the Mindanao market and also access to the Visayas as well. It is something that I would encourage shipping lines, importers, and investors to consider it,” Lagdameo said during the 3rd of the Webinar Series of the Davao Investment Conference (Davao ICON 2021) with the theme: “Mindanao as a Logistics Hub of ASEAN, First and Last Mile Logistics” on October 27, 2021, via Zoom.
Davao ICon is positioning Mindanao, which is home to world-class ports that allow for a seamless supply chain, as a logistics hub in the ASEAN and put Davao export products on the world map. Both the public and private sectors in the Davao Region envision Mindanao as the place where businesses from all corners of the Philippines can trade more efficiently and expand their markets to become regional and global.
“Again with having a platform as Davao ICon one of the most important things that we need to continue to advocate for is the communication. Better information that is shared to the exporting and importing public,” Lagdameo said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Malou Monteverde, president of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc., (DCCCII), said the government has to push for lower logistical costs and likewise also open up to more players in the logistic sector.
“The government has to implement and lower the cost of shipping especially that we are experiencing a lot of logistics I mean travels,” Monteverde said.
Monteverde also said that the ports in Davao Region and Mindanao must be improved. She said the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has to do its share also.
“Though, we have a main hub we can also have a smaller hub. In Mindanao, there are still a lot of smaller hubs that can be developed. So the PPA also has to do its share and we have some issues regarding international shipping routes also coming in. That is something we should look forward to so that the cost of shipping and logistic will be lowered too,” she said.
