Expanding the Coverage of EO No. 170 (s. 2003) and EO No. 170-A (s. 2003) to Include Container-Chassis Roll-on-Roll-off (Cha-Ro)

March 29, 2016

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 204

EXPANDING THE COVERAGE OF EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 170 (S. 2003) AND EO NO. 170-A (S. 2003) TO INCLUDE CONTAINER-CHASSIS ROLL-ON-ROLL-OFF (CHA-RO)

WHEREAS, the intent of Executive Order (EO) No. 170 (s. 2003), as amended, is to integrate the road network with the nautical routes to and from the national highway under the Road-Roll-on/Roll-off Terminal System (RRTS);

WHEREAS, there is a need to expand existing Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) service to include Chassis Ro-Ro (Cha-Ro) to further reduce logistics cost and support and promote competitiveness of the export sector;

WHEREAS, there is a need to expand Ro-Ro definition to include Cha-Ro as part of the Ro-Ro service in order to support and complement the establishment of the Association of Southern Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ro-Ro Project Network and address issues related to the movement of natural persons, Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security (CIQS), and technical operations; and

WHEREAS, said inclusion of Cha-Ro as part of the Ro-Ro service will lift the restriction of the Ro-Ro definition to "self-driven" rolling cargoes and, in so doing, reduce the cost of domestic logistics and trans-shipment of export-import cargoes.

NOW, THEREFORE, I BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. Amendment of the definition of the term Ro-Ro service to include Cha-Ro service. EO 170 Section 1.a shall now read:

Section 1. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Executive Order:

a. Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) operations shall refer to the method of loading and discharging of vehicles between vessel and shore via a ramp, whether:

a.1 Self-powered (such as cars, trucks, containers on chassis attached to a prime mover, buses, motorcycles) and/or

a.2 Containers on chassis loaded unto the Ro-Ro ship by prime mover (or tractor head) at the port of origin and unloaded from the Ro-Ro by a different prime mover (tractor head) at the port of destination.

SECTION 2. Section 3 of EO 170-A (s. 2003), entitled Amending Executive Order No. 170 dated January 22, 2003 to Expand the Coverage of the Road Roll-on/Roll-off Terminal System is also amended to read as: cHaCAS

"The RRTS toll shall be applicable to:

a. All self-powered vehicles such as cars, trucks, containers on chassis attached prime mover, buses, motorcycles;

b. Containers loaded unto the Ro-Ro ship by prime mover (or tractor head) at the point of origin and unloaded from the Ro-Ro by a different prime mover (or tractor head) at the point of destination; and

c. All vessels to the extent that they are actually engaged in Ro-Ro."

SECTION 3. Coverage. — This EO shall apply to domestic as well as international Ro-Ro operations/services.

SECTION 4. Separability Clause. — If any provision of this Order is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid and subsisting.

SECTION 5. Effectivity. — This Order shall take effect immediately upon its publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 29th day of March, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Sixteen.