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THE
Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has announced the
completion and forthcoming inauguration of additional
halfway houses in Iloilo, Lipata Port in Surigao, and
the expansion and upgrade of its original facility at
the North Harbor.
Originally intended to serve as temporary shelter for
women and children stranded in the ports, these halfway
houses are now considered as “Bahay Silungan sa Daungan”
where trafficked or potentially trafficked women and
children can be given proper assistance.
In a
statement, the port agency said that it was able to
build a total of eight halfway houses, as it had
originally planned.
Other
halfway houses are located in Batangas, Matnog in
Sorsogon, Davao, Zamboanga and the South Harbor
extension in Manila.
All
halfway houses are strategically located in ports, which
have been identified as top pick-up or transit points
for human smuggling and trafficking. The port agency
hopes that the establishment of halfway houses in the
said locations have more or less covered all the
possible areas where security services for trafficked or
potentially trafficked victims may be needed.
PPA
assistant general manager Aida Dizon said the
establishment of halfway-houses facilities in selected
ports is the agency’s continuing commitment as part of
its corporate social responsibility initiatives.
According to Dizon, the PPA believes that its primary
function does not only involve the maintenance,
rehabilitation and management of ports but also the
promotion of the welfare of the people, especially those
who use ports.
“Maybe,
if our finances will still allow it and we saw the need
to build more, then we might establish additional
facilities in other ports,” Dizon said.
“Hopefully, the existence of these facilities in our
major ports will continue to make a difference in
curbing human trafficking and smuggling in the country,”
Dizon said. |
