There will be no increases in freight cost of basic necessities and prime commodities (BNPCs) in areas affected by the closure of the San Juanico Bridge, Trade and Industry Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque said.
Roque told reporters during the ceremonial signing on June 18, 2025 of the Pledge of Commitment and launch of the Supply Chain and Logistics Center (SCLC) where about 20 partner logistics service providers and companies engaged in supply chains industry vowed to support the government in advancing logistics’ accessibility, affordability, and reliability especially for micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. already declared a state of calamity in Eastern Visayas for one year from June 5, 2025 to hasten the repair and rehabilitation of the compromised state of the San Juanico Bridge and mitigate the impact on the residents of Samar and Leyte.
The 53-year old 2.16-kilometer San Juanico Bridge serves as the only permanent land link between the islands of Samar and Leyte and a key component of the Pan-Philippine Highway (Maharlika Highway/AH26), which connects Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
The trade chief also acknowledged the difficulty of bringing the products in. Already, government agencies are implementing new routes with the opening of the Amandayehan port in Basey, Samar and the launch of direct Mindanao-Luzon route via roll-on roll-off transport mode.
The opening of new routes and ports for RoRo vessels are expected to ease traffic congestion and move the goods as fast as possible.
“We have to freeze prices on basic goods and prime commodities while there’s a problem,” Roque said.
Meantime, the SCLC initiatives of DTI’s Supply Chain and Logistics Group headed by Undersecretary Jean Pacheco will serve as a central platform that will provide MSMEs, exporters, importers and consumers access to real-time, accurate and actionable logistics and supply chain information. The center will act as a nationwide support system to address logistics concerns and connect users to appropriate service providers, thereby reducing transaction costs and enhancing market access.
The SCLC has two components: hotline number and a website/portal.
SCLC Hotline (632-77913100 – 7252 SCLC) will serve as an immediate and accessible entry point for MSMEs and other stakeholders needing logistics support.
The SCLC website supplychainlogsitcs.dti.gov.ph is an integrated platform that will house relevant supply chain data, service directories, logistics cost benchmarks, and decision-making tools. It also provides a coordination space for public-private sector engagement and industry-wide collaboration.
The center is expected to be completed and made functional within the year.
DTI’s partner logistics service providers include 2GO Express, Airspeed, Cebu Pacific, DHL, F2 Logistics, Fast Logistics, FedEx, Flash Express, Grab Express, Laguna Gateway Inland Container Terminal, Lalamove, LBC Express, Maersk, PAL, Philippine Multimodal Transport and Logistics Association Inc., Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines, Yellow Supply Chain Solutions, and San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corp.
