Business Mirror
February 3, 2006
UNLESS President Arroyo signs an executive order, all overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) would pay the $5 "security charges" that the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) would impose in the second quarter of this year.
The Naia is raising P1.3 billion a year, or about P7 billion in five years, to finance a comprehensive effort to make the Naia a veritable fortress equipped with all kinds of detectors, listening devices, hand-held "wands," x-ray portals and vans that could detect if nearby vehicles or suspected cars contain explosive devices.
This van is similar to the ones that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) deployed in Manila several years ago during the visit of President George Bush.
Called a "backscatter" van, the vehicle is equipped with a threat image projection (TIP) equipment showing which vehicles within range contain bombs or explosive charges, and each car would cost about $5 million or P27.5 million each.
On the other hand, the x-ray portals that would be deployed at the airport's entrance would also be able to detect any metallic object or suspicious items in a person's possession that carriers could show so as to avoid body frisking or "patdown" inspection, according to an official of the premier airport who is privy to the three public hearings conducted among airport and airline officials.
The most contentious issue that the Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) has to deal with is whether it has the political will to charge $5 as well to domestic travelers, expected at about three million passengers a year. "The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has allowed all ICAO member-countries to levy the security fee and its edict does not exempt anyone from paying, including the OFW or domestic passengers," said a Miaa official who requested anonymity. R. Mercene
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