The privately-owned Pacific Roadlink Logistics Inc. (PRLI) on Thursday agreed to house a cold examination facility in Angat, Bulacan where the government will process agricultural imports prior to releasing them for public consumption.
PRLI signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Agriculture (DA) where it committed the construction of cold exam unit solely for DA use at its 10-hectare property in Bulacan.
The site is where PRLI conducts its staging, laboratory, incinerator, container yard and truck parking operations, including the portion where the DA conducts its cold examination tests on all agricultural imports.
The entire facility is estimated to cost P2.3 billion will serve as the first 24-hour off-dock facility exclusively processing agricultural imports from major ports in the Philippines, including but not limited to the port of Manila and the Manila International Container Port.
Under the MOU, the DA has sole access to the cold assessment unit for 25 years renewable for another 25 years after that.
The PLRI will also construct the physical and structural framework of the unit in accordance with the specifications and guidelines of the DA but exclusive of the equipment, fixtures, and other laboratory supplies which will be for the account of the government.
The company will also assume responsibility for the maintenance against ordinary wear and tear arising from the normal operations of the facility and will maintain its status as an off-dock customs facility for the duration of the agreement.
The DA is expected to allocate an appropriate budget for the procurement of equipment, fixtures and supplies for use at the examination processes conducted in its laboratory.
The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) has long since wanted such a facility for the agriculture sector to help combat smuggling and ensure food safety and public health against unsafe and untested agricultural imports that may bring animal diseases.
SINAG said the facility will work to the advantage of importers, sparing them from unnecessary costs on storage, detention, demurrage and risk of spoilage.
The group claimed the unit has been allocated funding the past four years but has not been pursued until PRLI volunteered to build it themselves.
