By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
6:33 pm | Wednesday, February 6th, 2013
MANILA, Philippines—The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said Wednesday it has allocated P100 million for the installation of closed-circuit television cameras in the immigration areas of eight alternative international airports in the country.
CAAP Director General William Hotchkiss III said the installation of the surveillance camera systems was in line with the agency’s safety and security program for all Philippine airports.
According to Hotchkiss, CAAP will be signing this month an agreement with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat) which would co-manage the operation of the CCTV systems that would record goings-on at the immigration counters.
“The agreement is a joint effort by the Iacat and the CAAP designed to enhance airports’ capability in monitoring passengers and other airport users’ movement in the immigration areas,” Hotchkiss said in a statement.
The eight airports are the Clark International Airport in Pampanga; Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City; Iloilo International Airport; Bacolod–Silay International Airport; Kalibo International Airport; Puerto Princesa International Airport; Zamboanga International Airport; and Laoag International Airport.
Under the agreement, CAAP will provide funding for the surveillance equipment through competitive bidding while Iacat will co-manage the operations of the integrated surveillance systems.
The Iacat, composed of five government agencies and three private-sector representatives, is tasked with crafting and implementing policies to stop trafficking in persons.
There have been allegations that unscrupulous immigration and airport officials are conniving with traffickers to allow in and out of the country Filipinos or foreigners who are undocumented, and other people pretending to be tourists but actually planning to work or stay illegally here or overseas.