Halfway
House: Fulfillment of a Social Commitment
Along
with the primary business responsibility of managing the ports and providing
efficient port services, the social responsibility has always been an intrinsic
commitment of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
With
this as a driving force, the PPA has conceived the “Bahay Silungan sa Daungan”
(BSD), or halfway house, at the ports.
For a time, the BSD served as a refuge, which is the original idea for
its creation, for stranded passengers at the ports especially women and
children. Now, its role has gone much
beyond that fundamental purpose. It has
evolved into a valuable mechanism in the realization of the Authority’s social
responsibility. It has become an
effective instrument for the prevention of the trafficking of women and
children, especially those coming from the far-flung provinces of the
country. These unsuspecting women and
children, motivated only by the desire to have a decent livelihood, were ensnared
by unscrupulous persons and would have been pushed to social ills such as
prostitution or white slavery, forced labor and other evils. Thanks to this pioneering initiative of PPA. More innocent and unsuspecting would-be
victims have been rescued.
The
halfway house, or BSD, is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It provides assistance in the form not only
of shelter but food, tracing of relatives, counseling, referrals to agencies
concerned and repatriation, as well.
Facilities include a 20-bed shelter complete with sheets and beddings,
toilets and bathrooms, potable water, electricity, a T.V. room, a reading room,
a reception area and a multi-purpose function room.
Among
the regular activities of the bahay silungan sa daungan include the
regular inspection of the different piers to spot possible stranded passengers
or victims of illegal recruiters, information dissemination and coordination
among partner organizations, orientation of shipping crew, security guards,
porters, port police and others who can assist to the success of the project
and providing assistance to stranded passengers in their search for contact
addresses.
The
first halfway house is located in front of Pier 8 at the North Harbor,
Manila’s premier domestic port. A
second one begun operations in the international port of Davao (in Mindanao
island) in May 2002 and a third halfway house will be operational at the Matnog
ferry terminal in Southern Luzon island.
The
success and effective operation of the project has been made possible through
the joint effort of the PPA and other government agencies (such as the
Department of Social Welfare Department, the Department of Labor and Employment
and the National Bureau of Investigation), the private sector and
non-government organizations such as the Visayan Forum.
It
has gained the interest of various local and international agencies. At various times, observers from the
ILO-IPEC, UNICEF, child Workers in Asia (CWA) and ECPAF had the chance to visit
the center and know more about the program.
The
Bahay Silungan sa Daungan, or halfway house, has proved to be a fitting
response to the fulfillment of a social responsibility and commitment of the
PPA.
A
new remarkable milestone for the Philippine Ports Authority. This, in a few words, may be a fitting
description of the event that transpired on July 11, 2003.
Coinciding with the 29th anniversary celebration of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), the Electronic Port (e-Port) launch propelled the PPA to another big leap forward, this time into the world of information technology. The occasion marked the official announcement to the port community and the public the implementation of the Authority’s ambitious computerization system, therefrom to be known officially as PROMPT (Providing Reliable Operation and Management of Ports thru Technology) of which e-Port is an integral part.
PPA General Manager Alfonso G. Cusi provided the welcome message after which Mr. Virgilio Peña, Undersecretary for Information and Communication Technology of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), delivered his heart-warming address. The Undersecretary particularly praised the PPA for the endeavor and the accomplishment. He was met with rousing applause when he announced that PPA would now be in Stage 4 of the E-commerce implementation, the next-to-highest level among the categories that were formulated by the Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Council (ITECC), the body formed to implement and monitor the Philippine E-Commerce Act of 2000. After his speech, Mr. Peña did the formal launching by logging in and submitting the port documentation through the system.
As envisaged, PROMPT is expected to implement and manage an integrated information system that will improve mission-critical systems and business operations of PPA through automation of information processing and business processes.
E-port, as integral part thereof, is envisioned to provide a common trade facilitation platform interconnecting all members of the Philippine port user community and become part of a global information network link to other port community systems abroad. Initially, e-Port, a web-based solution, shall provide port users the facility to transact electronically with PPA in the areas of document submission and billing.
With PROMPT, and its significant e-PORT component, PPA may now be considered to be at par with international standards, in terms of technological capability.