OFWs stage rally in Mendiola to protest MIAA's airport terminal fee integration



Hundreds of OFWs and their families marched to Mendiola in a rare show of force to protest against the airport terminal fee integration scheme of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), which was implemented last Sunday, February 1. 

The #Noto550 Coalition composed of more than thirty (30) OFW groups including non-government organizations in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Italy denounced the move of MIAA to implement the integration of the so-called International Passenger Service Charge (IPSC) in all air tickets citing an existing law that provides an exemption for OFWs from paying such fees. 

Bearing placards asking the government to respect the law, the OFW groups scored MIAA executives for implementing the IPSC inspite of an ongoing court case at the Pasay City RTC Branch 109 where Judge Tingraan Guiling has yet to render a decision on the coalition's motion for a preliminary injunction. The court has set a hearing on February 6 while the Senate committee on public services will begin its inquiry into the IPSC on February 9.

"We were taken by surprise because MIAA chose to disregard the ongoing legal process and congressional hearings on the IPSC. For us, MIAA acted in defiance of the two branches of government," the coalition members said.

Under the IPSC, the PHP550 airport terminal fee is integrated in all air tickets but OFWs who purchase their tickets online or overseas would need to line up to claim a refund at the airport terminals. Under the Migrant Workers' Act of 1995, OFWs are entitled to an exemption from paying airport fees and the travel tax upon presentation of the Overseas Employment Certificate or OEC issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. 

However, under MIAA's IPSC scheme, only OFWs who buy their tickets within the country can avail of the exemption since they are able to presentg their OEC to the airline or travel agent.Those who are outside the country would have to pay the integrated fee and line up for a refund. 

The OFW groups also questioned the propriety of collecting terminal fees from OFWs who would have a difficult time lining up to claim a PHP550 refund since most of these workers are only given a limited time by their employers to be with their families. "The cumbersome and inconvenient process of refund confronting OFWs will result in millions of pesos in non-refunded terminal fees in the hands of MIAA. What is the legal basis for MIAA to collect the IPSC from OFWs who are legally exempted from paying the same, only to hold on to the non-refunded without even a fig leaf of a law to govern these funds?"

Leaders of the Coalition #Noto550 also met with Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio "Sonny" Coloma after the rally to formally hand over their position paper and letter to President Benigno Simeon Aquino III. In their letter, the OFW groups stressed that the government must respect the law particularly the Migrant Workers' Act of 1995 as amended by Republic Act No. 10022 on terminal fee exemptions for OFWs. 

"Respect the law. That is all we ask, Mr. President," the coalition members said. Secretary Coloma promised to inform the President about the sentiments and concerns raised by the OFW groups during the dialogue. 

The Coalition is composed of more than thirty organizations including: Philippine Migrants Rights Watch, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, United Filipino Seafarers, the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, LBS Recruitment, Inc, Federated Association of Manpower Exporters, Inc (FEDAMANEX), OFW Family Party-List, Pinoy Expats/OFW Blog Awards (PEBA), Filipino Migrant Workers Group, OFW Movement, Daughters of Charity Migrants Desk, Kabalikat ng Migranteng Pilipino, Ang Bagong Bayani OFW Labor Party, Filipino Lifeline, Kapisanan ng mga Kamaganak ng Migranteng Manggagawang Pilipino, Patnubay Riyadh, Ang Nars Party-List, Office of Senator Cynthia Villar, Task Force OFWs Italy, Global Asia Alliance, Philippine Recruitment Agencies Accredited to Saudi Arabia (PRAASA), Pinoy Tayo SanMan (HongKong), OFWs in Afghanistan, and several others.

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