MIAA integrates P550 terminal fee in airline tickets despite court cases

MANILA, Philippines – The P550 terminal fee at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport has been integrated into international airline tickets bought beginning Sunday despite opposition mounted by overseas Filipino workers’ groups.

Passengers with outgoing flights at the NAIA Terminal 1 on Monday were seen passing by a refund counter at the departure area of NAIA Terminal 1, a few meters away from the airport’s immigration counters.

For two days since Sunday, only one overseas Filipino worker went to the counter manned by the personnel of the Land Bank of the Philippines to process the refund of the terminal fee or formally known as the International Passenger Service Charge.

Connie Bungag, spokesperson for the MIAA, said so far, 94 passengers at the NAIA Terminal 1 and 2 did not go through the usual process of queuing up to pay the terminal fee.

“All tickets purchased now are integrated. There is no turning back as of now,” Bungag said in an interview.

Airport officials said no legal impediment could block the integration scheme since the temporary restraining order issued by the Pasay Regional Trial Court has expired and no preliminary injunction was issued afterward.

After the TRO expired, Presiding Judge Tingaraan Guiling of the Pasay RTC Branch 109 issued a decision saying the memorandum circular issued by the MIAA and the Department of Transportation and Communications on the integration was “unenforceable” due to its lack of publication.

“We have already complied with the publication requirement on December 12 last year (2014),” Bungag said.

The integration was aimed at getting rid of the long lines to the terminal fee counters in the hope of decongesting the terminals.

Bungag said the effect of the integration scheme on the long lines of passengers lining up to pay for the terminal fee might be felt two to three months from now.

In a year’s time, the MIAA will get rid of all the terminal fee counters, benefiting an average of 5.6 million passengers departing from NAIA, according to Bungag.

Meanwhile, OFW groups on Monday asked the MIAA to wait for the Pasay court ruling on its recent urgent motion for preliminary injunction before implementing the integration plan.

The protesting workers are invoking the Migrant Workers’ Act of 1995, which exempts OFWs from paying travel tax and airport terminal fees. Filipino athletes, and Muslim pilgrims are also exempted from paying the terminal fees.

Emmanuel Geslani, a recruitment consultant speaking for OFW groups, said in a statement that the MIAA has been courting contempt charges by implementing the memorandum on Feb. 1 despite pending motions in court.