The alliance commanding roughly 60 percent of port-based truckers in the Philippines has broken from a rival federation and will not join a week-long "Rest Day on the Ports" stoppage, opting instead for structured talks on the empty-container gridlock choking Manila's terminals.

The Alliance of Concerned Truck Owners and Organizations (ACTOO) said on October 6 it would keep hauling through the protest window that was originally set for September 28 and later moved to October 5. The Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines (CTAP) had organized the shutdown around congestion, high fees and the financial losses bleeding the trucking sector.

Why are Manila's container gates jamming up?

Empty-container returns sit at the core of the dispute. Industry participants told local outlets that empty-box turnarounds at Manila's container depots now stretch from two weeks to a full month — a delay that locks up chassis, eats yard space at the terminals, and forces carriers into longer round trips on each import cycle.

For shippers, the cost shows up directly in extended demurrage exposure. For trucking owners, the same delay means fewer daily trips per truck and thinner margins on every booking. For shipping lines, it caps how quickly boxes cycle back to origin loading points and trims throughput they can sell per call.

ACTOO's vice president and acting chairperson, Rina Papa, framed the group's decision as a matter of method rather than urgency.

"We want clear, concrete, and grounded solutions to the problems faced by truckers and the entire logistics sector. We see no value in grandstanding or simply making noise without clear demands, direction, and a strategy for achieving results," Papa said.

What does a port holiday cost Filipino shippers and consumers?

Consumer groups lined up on October 6 to argue that a week-long halt would land hardest on households already absorbing food, fuel and medicine inflation. CitizenWatch co-convenor Christopher Belmonte, an attorney, said the public cannot carry the cost of an industry fight.

"A port holiday could create another burden for ordinary Filipinos who are having a hard time. It will only disrupt the movement of food, medicine, fuel, and other essential goods," Belmonte said. "What is needed is action — not a stoppage of the flow of goods."

Louie Montemar, convenor of Konsyumer At Mamamayan, pressed for an immediate, multi-party table that locks in deadlines and accountability.

"Operations must continue while the government, shipping lines, port operators, container depots and truckers immediately engage in discussions. These efforts should result in concrete reforms, clear accountability and definite deadlines," Montemar said.

"Fix the system without stopping the flow of goods. Do not allow consumers to pay for negligence and a lack of coordination," he added.

How big is ACTOO, and who else is on strike?

ACTOO says its members account for about 60 percent of port-based trucks serving Manila's main container gateways. CTAP, the federation that called the work stoppage, has not disclosed a comparable membership share.

The Manila dispute comes on top of a separate three-day nationwide transport strike staged from September 28 to 30 by MANIBELA over successive diesel price increases — a fuel-driven protest distinct from the port-side push, but one that adds political weight on logistics policy heading into the closing quarter.

ACTOO's recalibration leaves CTAP's week-long work stoppage effectively without majority support at the terminals. It also narrows the negotiating field: with the largest operator bloc committed to dialogue, the burden of producing reform rests with the shipping lines and the depot operators who have not yet tabled concrete commitments on turnaround targets.

Whether Manila's port authorities, shipping lines and depot operators can convert ACTOO's request for talks into binding yard and empty-container targets before the year-end cargo peak will set the trajectory for container-handling reliability into 2027.