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THE
Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said it will inaugurate
its flagship halfway house in
Manila North Harbor
this week, which will replace its dilapidated facility
that was meant to shelter stranded passengers and also
the victims of human trafficking.
In a
statement, the PPA it is putting up seven more halfway
houses across its ports in the country. These are in
Batangas, Davao, Matnog in Sorsogon, Zamboanga, the
South Harbor extension and the soon-to-be-inaugurated
shelter facilities in
Iloilo
and Lipata in Surigao.
“The
port agency considers its halfway house facilities as
its frontline project not only aimed at providing
temporary shelter for women and children who are
stranded at the ports but also at averting their
possible exploitation,” PPA assistant general manager
Aida P. Dizon said in a statement.
The PPA
has struck a deal with Visayan Forum Foundation Inc. to
operate and maintain some of the halfway houses until
2011, which can be further extended.
US
Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney had said in September last
year they will give a total of P1 million for the
Visayan Forum to cover their expenses for the
maintenance of the facility.
Some
domestic shipping companies, like the Aboitiz group, are
also giving funds for the initiatives, such as
sponsoring the meetings of various stakeholders.
According to the deal, the PPA will provide the
facilities, while the nongovernment organization will
have to maintain the place by securing funding from
various sources, such as donor-agencies like the United
States Agency for International Development.
Dizon
said the shelter in
North Harbor,
established in July 2000, was hailed as the first of its
kind in
Asia. It gained national and international recognition as it was
transformed as a means to curb human trafficking from
just a facility meant to house stranded passengers.
The US
State Department in its 2005 and 2006 Trafficking in
Persons Reports hailed the initiative as one of the best
international practices in the fight against
trafficking, the PPA said. |
