Aussie-funded project beefs up port operations

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- The airport and seaport here, as well as the Mindanao Container Terminal (MTC) received recently a total of P750,000 equipment and capability building support from a government project funded by Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid).

Dubbed as the "Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area Support to CIQS or Best on CIQS," the project specifically donated a P500,000 worth of equipment support to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippine (Caap) in the city.

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Also, it donated P250,000 to MTC, which Is located at Philippine Veterans Industrial Development Corporation (Phividec) in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, to support its capability building activities.

The allocation is part of the P3.75 million equipment and capability building assistance of the Best on CIQS project to priority ports in Mindanao and Palawan, such as Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, General Santos-Sarangani, Cotabato, and Puerto Princesa City.

Undersecretary Virgilio Leyretana of Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said that Mindanao and Palawan are gradually gaining momentum towards increasing trade, tourism and investment in BIMP-Eaga by improving the delivery of CIQS services at ports.

He said a secured, coordinated and harmonized operations at ports can attract more investors that plow back more income to the city and generate more job opportunities.

He then challenged the recipients to maximize the skills and equipment they got from the project.

Meanwhile, port manager Efren Bollozos said the CCTV cameras they received will help them monitor the entry and exit of passengers, as well as cargo ships and goods in the seaport premises.

Bollozos said the installation of CCTV cameras came in time with the security audit of port conducted by the Office for Transportation Security (OTS), the single authority responsible for the security of all modes of public transportation systems in the country.

Cagayan de Oro port manager Naga Rascal also thanked AusAID, Medco and Neda for the medical equipment and supplies, fire hose cabinets, hydrants and extinguishers for the domestic airport.

"Oftentimes passengers would go to my office and ask for first aid supplies like Betadine," said Rascal, adding that the medical supplies are among the basic needs of passengers at the ports.

Meanwhile, Engr. Manuel Kionisala of Phividec, which manages MTC, said the installation of the radar facility at the container terminal will help ease surveillance and monitoring of port activities.

The radar, he said, was acquired several years ago yet it remained idle since MTC personnel lack the capability on how to use it.

Using the financial grant of P250,000 from the BEST on CIQS project, MTC was able to conduct short courses on using the radar in November last year.

In partnership with the Philippine Coast Guard, MTC can now detect vessels and ships going in and out of Cagayan de Oro.