Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista on Wednesday said shippers should expect congestion in Manila's ports due to the holiday season.

"We must always expect congestion during holidays. But we are prepared for that,"  Bautista said in an interview.

Philippine Ports Authority General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago, however, said port bottlenecks are not expected.

"We do not anticipate any port congestion this coming Christmas season, but we anticipate in the coming weeks that utilization will be higher due to the expected influx of cargoes gearing up towards the holidays," Santiago told the DAILY TRIBUNE in a Viber message.

To date, Santiago said the yard utilization rate at Manila South Harbor is at 48.42 percent and 65.52 percent at the Manila International Container Terminal.

For berth occupancy, the rate is currently 75.35 percent at the MSH and 49.87 percent at the MICT.