Japan Budget Officials visit POM X-ray Facility

         To learn about the best practices in the conduct of non-intrusive container inspection of shipments in the Bureau of Customs, officials of the Japan Ministry of Finance and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, headed by Mr. Sumiya Shibasaki, have recently visited and made an ocular observation on the actual x-ray scanning operation at the Port of Manila X-ray Facility on March 3, 2011. They were assisted by POM X-ray Field Officer Renato Palgan.

            Before proceeding to the POM X-ray Facility, the visiting Japanese officials made a courtesy call on Field Officer Renato Palgan and expressed the desire of their agencies to provide technical assistance to the Customs X-ray Inspection Project to effectively and efficiently accomplish its mandate especially on detecting shipments containing contraband and anti-social goods.

            As a gesture of gratitude to their offered services and goodwill, Field Officer Renato Palgan thanked the visiting officials and expressed his reciprocal support to whatever programs and working cooperation they will offer to the Bureau of Customs for the efficient and effective use of container x-ray scanners and handed to them several copies of Customs x-ray manuals as token of gratitude for their support.

Japan Budget and JICA Officials, headed by Sumiya Shibasaki (second from right) and Takashi Uchino (first from left) make a courtesy call on Port of Manila Field Officer Renato Palgan (third from right) at the latter’s office on March 3 before proceeding to the Port of Manila X-ray Facility to observe the best scanning practices of shipments in the Philippines.

DOH approves new POM X-ray Facility

The X-ray Inspection Project has recently boosted its capabilities at the Port of Manila after the Department of Health has approved the former’s new x-ray facility intended primarily for export shipments located within the DEA- Examination Area, following an ocular inspection and radiation test conducted by DOH personnel Vincent Dalin and Victor Margallo, together with BOC Radiation Safety Officer Renato Palgan, last February 23, 2011. And it was scientifically established through radiation tests conducted on the site that the radiation emitted by the x-ray scanner is within the standards required for the public to be exposed to radiation. Aside from the radiation test, it is also a mandatory requirement that all x-ray operators manning the x-ray machines have undergone the required trainings in scanning operation and radiation safety before a license to operate can be issued to the bureau.

According to BOC Radiation Safety Officer and concurrent POM X-ray Field Officer Renato Palgan, the Port of Manila has now five units of container x-ray machines that are operational all at the same time and can accommodate at least 250 containerized shipments daily in accordance with the new memorandum issued by the Commissioner of Customs last February 8.

“The opening of new x-ray facility at the Port of Manila is in compliance with the Customs Radiation Safety Manual and in accordance with the safety requirements and standards set by the Department of Health, which is the regulatory government agency in the use of x-ray machine. And this deployment of new container x-ray scanner is a clear manifestation that the XIP is continuously reassessing its radiation safety requirements to be able to meet its commitments to radiation regulatory agencies”, Palgan said.

POM New Container X-ray Facility. DOH Radiation Safety Expert Victor Margallo (in green shirt) together with BOC X-ray personnel, conducts radiation test around the new container x-ray facility. At the foreground is the mobile container x-ray machine.