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BEFORE
it decides to impose radiation monitoring fees on
shipping operators, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA)
will first issue implementing guidelines for the
establishment of portals which will detect nuclear
materials at the Port of Manila.
An
official said that the agency will still conduct another
public hearing on the issue since port operators
International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI)
and Asian Terminals Inc. remain unconvinced about the
project’s importance. Two radiation portals, donated by
the US government, will be installed in the facilities
of ICTSI and ATI as part of measures to hamper the
movement of nuclear materials and other substances which
can be used to manufacture weapons of mass destruction.
These
portals are different from the scanning machines
installed at the country’s major terminals, including
the Port of Manila.
“There
are many vague areas in the implementation” of the
project, an official said in a phone interview, adding
that another public hearing is needed to resolve the
issue.
Meanwhile, the implementing guidelines, requested by the
Port of Manila, remains pending at the PPA’s commercial
services department, which handles tariff issues.
Port
officials want the said fee to be implemented next month
at the earliest, indicating that the PPA board would
have to approve it during its monthly meeting late this
month.
Both
ICTSI and ATI, which manages the Manila International
Container Terminal (MICT) and the
Manila South Harbor
respectively, are asking that the fees be implemented
since maintaining radiation portals entail power and
security costs, among others.
Although
the port agency has already proposed a flat rate of P50
per twenty-foot container, both port operators have
asked the PPA how it arrived on such an amount. |
