The senators’ duty is to enact laws and not to stop the implementation of the International Passengers Service Charge (IPSC)—better known as terminal fee—according to airport and airline sources.
“The airline has to abide by the memorandum of agreement [MOA] they signed with the Manila International Airport Authority [Miaa] regarding the implementation of the terminal fee,” the airport source, who requested not to be named, said.
This is in reaction to the resolution of 22 senators asking the Miaa to recall its order integrating the terminal fee into the cost of an airline ticket until it comes up with a system automatically exempting the overseas Filipino workers (OFW).
The senators said in the resolution that “it was not shown that earnest efforts on the part of the Miaa were exerted to come up with a solution allowing OFWs and other locally recognized exempt passengers to claim their exemptions, even when buying their airline tickets through online transactions or abroad.”
The legality of the IPSC order was also questioned after doubts were raised about the existence of a governing board resolution authorizing the issuance of the memorandum circular.
The No to 550 Coalition has questioned the legality of the order through a petition for writ of injunction before a Pasay City court, which said the memorandum cannot be enforced and the lawyers of the Miaa have not filed motions to reverse the order, despite having complied with the publication of the order.
The coalition also said over 1.2 million tickets that will be purchased this year by OFWs and and their employers will total P660 million.
It is estimated that 90 percent of OFWs will not bother to collect the refund due to a cumbersome and lengthy process. It is estimated that about 10 percent will refund the P550 fee, thus, leaving around P600 million to be held by the Miaa.
The coalition said these amounts are private funds.
OFW groups said the Miaa memorandum violated Section 35 of Republic Act 8042, or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, which exempts OFWs from paying travel tax, airport fees and terminal fees.
Among the senators who signed the resolution were Aquilino Pimentel III, Cynthia Villar, Nancy Binay, Ralph Recto, Loren Legarda, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Sergio Osmeña III, Pia Cayetano, Teofisto Guingona III, Antonio Trillanes IV, Vicente Sotto III, Francis Escudero, JV Ejercito, Grace Poe, Gregorio Honasan, Manuel Lapid, Juan Edgardo Angara, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Senate President Franklin Drilon.
Airport chief Angel Honrado, in a text message, said copies of the Senate resolution were sent to the members of the Miaa board.
Meanwhile, departing passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals continue to line up at the counter to have their boarding pass stamped after airline representatives placed a notice
to passengers.
Those who bought airline tickets that did not incorporate the P550 terminal fee have to pay them at the airport.
Image credits: Recto Mercene
1 comment
the Philippines is the only country in Asia that charges terminal fees and travel taxes….and our terminals even suck… scrap the terminal fee and travel tax NOW!!!!!!