Ocular inspection set to see if payment of terminal fee causes long lines
Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello will lead an ocular inspection of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to find out if the payment of terminal fee is the reason behind long lines at immigration counters.
OFW party-list Rep. Roy Señeres Sr. moved to conduct the ocular inspection following the statement of Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Jose Angel Honrado that its plan to integrate terminal fee to the price of airline tickets was prompted by the lengthy queues of passengers who need to pay it before boarding their flight.
“In my opinion, [the integration of terminal fees] is one way of enhancing our travel experience. You could just imagine, more than 7 million passengers no longer need to line up to pay the fee, while almost 200,000 can have the fees reimbursed,” Honrado said.
Bello, who heads the House committee on overseas workers affairs, did not mention any date for the visit, but only said members of the committee and representatives from OFW rights groups will conduct the inspection “in a couple of days.”
OFWs
Based on MIAA’s data, around 7.6 million international passengers passed through NAIA in 2013.
Of this figure, 2 million were exempted from paying terminal fees. Around 1.9 million of those given the exemption are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Of the OFWs exempted from paying the terminal fee, the agency estimates that some 190,000 were eligible for reimbursement because they purchased their airline tickets online.
MIAA suspended its implementation of the terminal fee integration earlier this month following the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) by the Pasay City Regional Trial Court, which later ruled that the scheme was unenforceable as MIAA failed to have the memorandum published in a national newspaper as mandated by the law.
Several OFW rights advocates had asked the Pasay court to issue a TRO on the proposed integration of terminal fees, saying this would violate Republic Act 10022, the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, which exempts migrant workers from paying it.
Emotional issue
Honrado welcomed the lawmakers’ plan to visit NAIA, but advised members of the panel to inspect around the time when international flights heading for top OFW destinations, such as the Middle East, depart.
“To have a clearer picture [of the long lines] at the counter, my suggestion to the lawmakers is to go there when flights to the Middle East leave. Because if we go there in the early morning like 5 a.m., you won’t see any lines,” he said.
Migrant workers’ advocate Susan Ople believes the integration of terminal fees goes against the spirit of RA 10022, which was enacted following the death of OFW Flor Contemplacion in 1998.
“This is an emotional issue for OFWs because for the past 19 years, they haven’t been paying terminal fees… A lot of OFWs are in a rush to meet their families or catch their flight, would they have time to get their P550 reimbursement? Where will it go if it’s unclaimed? This is money coming from OFWs themselves. They should have a say on how the money would be spent,” she said.
Honrado said OFWs no longer need to line up for a refund since the exemption from terminal fees is already granted at the point of sale provided he or she shows proof of entitlement.
OFWs can also provide a certification to their authorized relative to claim the reimbursement on their behalf should they fail to get it before leaving the airport, he said. —KBK, GMA News
OFW party-list Rep. Roy Señeres Sr. moved to conduct the ocular inspection following the statement of Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Jose Angel Honrado that its plan to integrate terminal fee to the price of airline tickets was prompted by the lengthy queues of passengers who need to pay it before boarding their flight.
“In my opinion, [the integration of terminal fees] is one way of enhancing our travel experience. You could just imagine, more than 7 million passengers no longer need to line up to pay the fee, while almost 200,000 can have the fees reimbursed,” Honrado said.
Bello, who heads the House committee on overseas workers affairs, did not mention any date for the visit, but only said members of the committee and representatives from OFW rights groups will conduct the inspection “in a couple of days.”
OFWs
Based on MIAA’s data, around 7.6 million international passengers passed through NAIA in 2013.
Of this figure, 2 million were exempted from paying terminal fees. Around 1.9 million of those given the exemption are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Of the OFWs exempted from paying the terminal fee, the agency estimates that some 190,000 were eligible for reimbursement because they purchased their airline tickets online.
MIAA suspended its implementation of the terminal fee integration earlier this month following the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) by the Pasay City Regional Trial Court, which later ruled that the scheme was unenforceable as MIAA failed to have the memorandum published in a national newspaper as mandated by the law.
Several OFW rights advocates had asked the Pasay court to issue a TRO on the proposed integration of terminal fees, saying this would violate Republic Act 10022, the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, which exempts migrant workers from paying it.
Emotional issue
Honrado welcomed the lawmakers’ plan to visit NAIA, but advised members of the panel to inspect around the time when international flights heading for top OFW destinations, such as the Middle East, depart.
“To have a clearer picture [of the long lines] at the counter, my suggestion to the lawmakers is to go there when flights to the Middle East leave. Because if we go there in the early morning like 5 a.m., you won’t see any lines,” he said.
Migrant workers’ advocate Susan Ople believes the integration of terminal fees goes against the spirit of RA 10022, which was enacted following the death of OFW Flor Contemplacion in 1998.
“This is an emotional issue for OFWs because for the past 19 years, they haven’t been paying terminal fees… A lot of OFWs are in a rush to meet their families or catch their flight, would they have time to get their P550 reimbursement? Where will it go if it’s unclaimed? This is money coming from OFWs themselves. They should have a say on how the money would be spent,” she said.
Honrado said OFWs no longer need to line up for a refund since the exemption from terminal fees is already granted at the point of sale provided he or she shows proof of entitlement.
OFWs can also provide a certification to their authorized relative to claim the reimbursement on their behalf should they fail to get it before leaving the airport, he said. —KBK, GMA News
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