ANGARA: INCREASE SECURITY IN PHL AIRPORTS AND TERMINALS

As many Filipinos gear up for travel next week, Senator Edgardo J. Angara calls for more stringent security measures in airports and bus terminals throughout the country.

"Holy Week typically brings in a huge volume of tourists to the Philippines. We must therefore double our efforts to protect the safety of all these travelers, whether foreign and local," said Angara.

According to Angara, chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, our airports are lagging behind our ASEAN neighbors in terms of facilities and security equipment. These issues must be addressed, he says, to cope with the increasing interest in travelling to and around the Philippines.

Angara authored Senate Bill No. 2026--"An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Transportation Security Program, Creating for the Purpose the Philippine Transportation Security Administration (PTSA), Defining its Powers and Functions, and Appropriating Funds Therefor".

The bill, also known as the Philippine Transportation Security Act of 2010, seeks to beef up the safety and security of both employees and passengers in the different forms of transport.

It would establish the PTSA under the Department of Transportation and Communications, a new law enforcement agency tasked to safeguard and protect all the modes of transportation in the Philippines.

A National Transportation Security Committee would also be created to liaise between the government and private transport providers.