MIAA emergency response teams get protective suits

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) officials announced yesterday that its emergency response team personnel are now capable investigating possible terrorist attacks without fear of chemical, biological, radiological, and radioactive (CBRN) weapons.

The Canadian government has given them five protective suits or Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) that will protect anyone them from harmful or lethal effects of weapons of mass destruction.

MIAA general manger Alfonso Cusi said the protective gear will definitely help enhance their security and emergency response capability at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other Philippine airports.

"We appreciate the help of the government of Canada in giving us the equipment to protect us from the possibility of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear dangers that terrorists may use," he said.

"We hope we would never have to use them," he added, noting that prevention through early detection is always the best way to counter terrorism.

MIAA assistant general manager for security and emergency services, (retired) Gen. Angel Atutubo, said the protective suits donated by the Embassy of Canada in Manila through the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and the National Defense College (NDC), give MIAA emergency personnel an edge.

Aside from giving the Philippines the gear, he said experts from the Defense Research and Development Canada - Counter Terrorism Technology Center (DRC-CTTC), provided responder training on how to use the PPE as well as the detection system for CBRN.

Atutubo also announced that MIAA has finished installing four new advanced baggage X-ray machines at the NAIA Terminal 1 and 2.

In a report to Cusi, he said seven high-performance multi-zone Walk Through Metal Detectors (WTMD), which will further enhance and speed-up security checks, are expected to be delivered and installed soon. – Michael Punongbayan