Security equipment for 45 PH airports up for bidding

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) plans to hold an auction in April for the security equipment to be installed in at least 45 airports in the country.

In a statement on Monday, March 5, Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas said the procurement program is part of efforts to beef up security screening procedures at 45 of the 86 airports all over the country.

“The objective is, by end of 2012, all 45 airports would have the appropriate security screening facilities,” said Roxas.

This procurement program, which will likely total P500 million, involves the purchase of the following:

• installation of 46 sets of screening equipment (worth around P475 million)
• 59 CCTVs
• 9 x-rays for cargo
• repair of 22 x-ray machines

“Bidding process will start first week of April. It is estimated to take 10 weeks from start of the bid before the entire process is completed. We will impose in the TOR (terms of reference) a delivery and installation schedule that will have the first delivery within 60 days after award of the bid.” Roxas explained.

“By the end of this year we would have delivered and installed 100% of the security screening to all 45 airports,” he said.

Commercial airports

The Philippines – an archipelago of over 7,100 islands – has 86 airports but only 45 service commercial flights.  

He said that less than half of the 45 airports deploy screening machines that detect prohibited items inside the airport and aircraft.

“Only 21 airports have security screening facilities but these 21 comprises bulk of air traffic. However, their security screenings are only single layered, meaning the passengers and their baggage pass through just one screening process.

“What we want to do is to properly layer the security screening by screening the passengers, baggage and cargo upon entry to the facility and another before they embark on the plane. It’s going to be a two-layered screening process,” he said.

“We will install, upgrade and layer the security screening for passengers, baggage and cargo in all 45 airports that currently services commercial flights,” said the transpiration chief. – Rappler.com