TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines?Local officials protested plans to increase terminal fees at the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport and other airports in Eastern Visayas, saying such an increase should be justified by improved service and facilities which the airports didn?t yet have.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Phils. (CAAP) sought to increase terminal fee at the DZR Airport from P30 to P200, or a jump of 600 percent.

Sergio Sumergido, CAAP area officer in charge, said the CAAP also planned to increase terminal fees at the Calbayog (Samar) and Catarman (Northern Samar) airports, from P20 to P150.

?Our plan is to standardize our rates,? Sumergido said on Thursday prior to a public hearing on the proposed fee increases.

He said the CAAP also planned to increase terminal fees from P10 to P100 in community airports in Borongan and Guiuan, Eastern Samar; Catbalogan, Samar; Naval, Biliran; Hilongos, Leyte; and Maasin City, Southern Leyte.

At a public hearing, Tacloban City Councilor Rufino Pacanan said city residents are opposed to the fee increase because facilities and services at the DZR were so poor that no increase in fee was justified.

Complaints ranging from lack of water, insufficient air condition units, lack of space and seats and lack of toilets hound the DZR.

The Tacloban City council, said Pacanan, passed a resolution on Wednesday opposing the fee increase.

The Leyte Sangguniang Panlalawigan also passed a resolution urging the CAAP to put on hold the fee increase ?until such time that the development of the airport... is completed.?

Some nongovernment groups also questioned the planned fee increase.

They said based on the CAAP financial report, the agency had enough funds for this year and needed no additional funds through terminal fee increases.