Sen. Paolo “Bam” Aquino yesterday reiterated his call for the government
to apply the full force of the law against corrupt business practices
that contribute to port congestion woes.
Aquino said concerned agencies should intensify its campaign against
corruption, extortion and other illegal activities in and around the
Port of Manila as they contribute to congestion, traffic and higher
prices of basic commodities.
“If we’re going to fix this, we should do it completely and we should
solve the issues for the long-term,” said Aquino, chairman of the
Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.
“We should get rid of illegal activities such as extortion because
they hamper the delivery of goods and contribute to the increase in
prices of goods and services,” he added.
Aquino renewed his pronouncement after Malacañang noticed that
extortion activities in and around the port abound and result to port
congestion.
He said it is imperative that the government shows that it means
business by going hard against these individuals who are making a living
through illegal means.
Aquino noted that during the Senate committee hearing on port
congestion, some stakeholders complained about “along the way” fees
being collected by unscrupulous individuals.
“While decongesting our port is the main priority, concerned
government agencies must also look at other factors that contribute to
this problem, like corruption,” he said.
Aquino said extortion and corruption contribute to inefficiency,
delaying the processing and delivery of shipments and discouraging
truckers and shipping companies from fulfilling their obligation.
“Ultimately, the consumers will bear the full brunt of this because
shipping companies will pass on to them their additional losses,” Aquino
said.
The lawmaker also encouraged entrepreneurs who’ve been victimized by
extortion or other illegal activities to come forward and file a case or
complaint.
“We need the cooperation of everyone to combat corruption. As they say, evil will prevail if good men do nothing,” Aquino said.
He said they can course their complaints through the WASAK or Walang
Asenso sa Kotong hotline (16565 and 0908-8816565) which provides
entrepreneurs an avenue to air their complaints against public
officials.
