Manila's port gridlock squeezes economy

[MANILA] Philippine furniture maker Betiscrafts Inc should have delivered a shipment of custom-made chairs to Middle East customers last month.

But a cargo from China of imported fabric needed for the upholstery has been held up by severe congestion at Manila's main port, where containers have piled up since February when a daytime ban on trucks plying the city roads came into effect.

Worried about the hit to the economy, the government intervened on Sept 13 to end the seven-month long ban, although the move may have come too late for many companies that ship to Western markets for the critical Christmas season.