The Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) has acquired some P400 million worth of high-tech equipment capable of detecting bombs, guns and other incendiary materials that will be installed at Manila’s four major passenger terminals and alternative airports across the country.
Miaa General Manager Ed Monreal said the Office Transportation Security (OTS) will utilize the new equipment as part of government’s efforts to address the increasing sophistication of terrorists.
The Miaa purchased several models of x-ray scanners and bomb detectors that enabled the premier airport to pass with flying colors the yearly assessment being conducted by the United States Transportation and Security Agency (USTSA).
“The USTSA had just finished their second assessment this year and we passed it again. Just awaiting for the official report,” Monreal said in a text message to the BusinessMirror.
In view of this positive development, the OTS said it would now adopt the latest high-tech equipment in all of the four airport passenger terminals, including the major alternative airports in the archipelago “to shape security across all airports in the country.”
The OTS, he added, as the primary overseer of the country’s transportation security, “will implement all of these best practices in all airports in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.”
“This will be another strategic direction that the agency aims to push forward on top of the baseline security measures it instituted, to upgrade security in light of continuing terror threats,” Monreal said.
The OTS, for its part, said these best practices being implemented at the airports involve the enhancement of passenger and baggage screening, which is considerably the most visible aspect of aviation security; access control measures; deployment of advanced explosive detection technologies.
The BusinessMirror interviewed Richard Aspiras and Karen Francisco, OTS area supervisors at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 1.
The duo were more than willing to explain to this reporter how the newly acquired machines work. They explained in details how the new Integrated Detection Security System (IDSS) is able to detect bombs, guns, gunpowder, explosives and other incendiary materials.
Previous scanners posted at the four Naia terminals could only provide a one-dimensional image of luggage and cargo. Subsequent x-ray scanners, on the other hand, could display a luggage or cargo in two-dimensions, showing the top or edge of any suitcase, bag or any container.
“These scanners,” Aspiras said, “could detect suspicious items highlighted in red. Not all items, however, are identifiable and shows only as dark blobs, which could only be identified by exposing them to visual inspections.”
However, the latest edition of these x-ray scanners, could be able to see all items that goes through it in three dimension. “Viewing the screen, we could see the top, edge or bottom of suitcases and bags,” said Aspiras.
He said the new scanner is manned by four personnel, two of them assisting the passenger in submitting all of their personal belongings and dumping them in a tray, which goes through the x-ray machine, while another views the screen monitor and the other takes a rejected and suspicious item for closer scrutiny.
Francisco, on the other hand, said the tray containing the passenger’s personal items moved through the scanner in 12 second from the moment it enters one end of the machine until it exits on the other end. She said it takes only three seconds for the scanner to identify a bag or suitcase containing an explosive, gun or any prohibited item.
“This IDSS machine automatically ejects the questionable suitcase or bag at the side of a conveyor, while the rest of the pieces of luggage continue their journey to the exit point,” she said.
“A luggage or tray containing the prohibited item like a gun, explosive or drug is immediately isolated and the owner is called to determine ownership before the passenger is subjected to questioning,” Francisco said.
Aspiras said the Naia Terminal 3 would have three pieces of IDSS, Terminal 2 and Terminal 1, one piece each. The total acquisition cost of the IDSS, however, was not revealed.
Monreal added that the Miaa also purchased L-3 scanners, the first batch which cost P228,540,000. The second, batch of 23 scanners costs P127,880,000 and the last batch of 21 units of scanners cost P49 million for a grand total of P405,420,000.
Included among these purchase are another x-ray scanners called explosive trace detector/device (ETD). As the name implies, these scanners are highly sensitive equipment that identifies even small traces of gunpowder, explosives and other incendiary devices.
“Some of the ETDs were donated by the USTSA,” according to Monreal, who added all of these technology upgrades are part of the premier airport’s enhanced security procedures.
The OTS on the other hand, said their “facility improvement, enhanced background checks and policy are meant “to keep pace with changing international and national security requirements.”
The OTS said they plan to convince Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade to implement the abolition of the ID passes for airport visitors.
The OTS has ordered that no one, no matter how high in the government and private sectors shall be exempted from undergoing security checks “Our own employees and officers must lead by example,” said OTS Administrator Raul del Rosario.
He, likewise, ordered that as a matter of protocol, entry/special passes shall not be issued except for security and truly exceptional reasons and those that are provided by relevant law, rules and regulations.
“Fetching or meeting passengers inside the airport terminal premises should be banned,” Del Rosario, quoting Tugade, said.