"Manila airport priority/ safety of air travelers"

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Naia priority/ safety of air travelers
Philippines - The Manila Standard


Safety and security of air travelers will be the number one priority at
Ninoy Aquino International Airport, according to new airport manager
Alfonso Cusi.

"We must not shirk from our responsibility to practice good security
housekeeping, like regular unannounced security inspections," Cusi told
reporters during his inspection of airport facilities Sunday.

Cusi inspected the domestic passenger terminal, as well as other
sensitive areas of the airport such as the control tower, radar station
and communications center.

He also visited the sewage treatment plant, pumping stations, fire and
rescue stations and Balagbag power house and inspected the Air
Transportation Office.

Cusi stressed that training of security personnel must be continuous
because the human factor was pivotal in aviation security.

He also expressed satisfaction that the airport passed the latest audit
of the Transportation Security Administration, signalling that all
security measures at the premier airport have met international
standards.

TSA, an organization under the US Department of Homeland Security, is
tasked to conduct security assessments of airports worldwide.

Last December, Naia failed to meet TSA standards and was given a 90-day
notice to improve. As a result, the US issued several travel advisories
against the Philippines, which adversely affected the airline industry.

BI targets

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration is expected to surpass the P1.1
billion collection target for 2004 after collecting more than P500
million in the first half of the year, bolstering the agency's prospect
of collecting P2 billion.

Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez said that from January to
June, the bureau's total income amounted to P579.6 million, P25.6
million or four percent more than its target of P554 million for the
first semester.

The six-month collection also exceeded by P17.1 million or three percent
the bureau's collection of P562.54 million in the same period last year.

Fernandez attributed the increase to the sharp rise in the number of
tourist visa extensions which the bureau approved in the past six
months.

Applications for tourist visa extensions rose by 18 percent to 103,037
from January to June, compared with only 86,822 approved in the first
semester of 2003.

The Philippines once again became a tourist destination, unlike last
year when tourist arrivals dropped because of the SARS epidemic and
threats from terrorists and kidnappers, said Fernandez.


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