|
THE
Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid)
has given more money to the Department of Transportation
and Communications (DOTC) so that it could implement the
third phase of a project intended to improve security at
Philippine ports and vessels.
Ken
Ward, counselor from the Australian Department of
Transport and Regional Services, said AusAid has already
given its commitment of another A$1 million ($829,894)
grant for the said project.
Called
the Philippines-Australia Port Security Capacity
Building Project, the program intends to develop a
national strategic framework
aimed at reducing security risks from terrorism
incidents in port facilities.
Since
AusAid will start its financial year on July, the
initiative would commence in the second half of the
year, Ward said, adding that the project would be
subsumed under the Office of the Transportation
Security, an agency under the DOTC.
For the
project’s first two phases, AusAid has already disbursed
A$3.47 million ($2.87 million).
The
first phase, which started early 2004, was mainly
undertaken to help the country’s ports to comply with
the International Maritime Organization’s International
Ship and Port Facilities Security Code by June 2004.
Meanwhile, the second phase covers additional capacity
building for the development of the national security
program for sea transport and maritime infrastructure,
which the authorities launched last Monday.
Australia
started allocating funds to various countries in the
Asia-Pacific region, mostly developing nations, after
its parliament approved the country’s terrorism act or
the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
Legislation Amendment (Terrorism) Act of 2003. |
