Implementation of the Marketing Strategies Employed at Philippine Ports Authority in Batangas City, Philippines

Marketing the port has always been a problem in developing countries such as the Philippines. With the objective of making it to the global market, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) tapped the expertise of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in financing, developing and constructing the Port of Batangas, Philippines and in putting in place highly sophisticated equipment for the international market. The researcher adopted descriptive research method to identify the level of awareness on the operational services, the marketing strategies employed at the port, and the problems encountered in marketing the Batangas Container Terminal. The respondents of the study consists of 30 informants (5 shipping lines / representatives, 5 truckers, 5 brokers, 5 shippers / cargo-owners, 5 logistics providers, and 5 other private entities using BatangasContainer Terminal) who were the respondents present during the data gathering. Findings revealed that the port users and clienteles are aware of the operational services provided by Philippine Ports Authority and Asian Terminals, Inc.; while the marketing strategies employed by Philippine Ports Authority and Asian Terminals, Inc. is effective. The study also revealed the three leading problems encountered by the ports users and clienteles such as: the insufficient number of cargo handling equipment; the inefficient cargo handling services; and the very slow turn-around time in withdrawal of cargoes. Only the effectiveness of marketing strategies shows significant relationship. This means that the more the respondents are aware of the services, the more the effective the marketing strategies are implemented.

Keywords: Marketing Strategy, Philippine Ports Authority, Operational Services