Jaime Bautista —Photo from DOTr FACEBOOK page
MANILA, Philippines – Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista clarified on Thursday that the recent hike in airport fees at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) was discussed during several Cabinet meetings and was not a unilateral decision by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
In a statement, Bautista said a recent report claiming that the airport fee hike was a unilateral decision by the agency was a “false statement.”
“Sinasabi dun na (It said) we approved the rates without approval from Cabinet. It passed through the Cabinet meetings. We had many Cabinet meetings to discuss this,” he said.
READ: Naia parking rate hike jeered; SMC-led group explains
He added that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. himself supported the move.
The DOTr chief, however, said they have no plans to sue the individual who published the false report.
On Monday, Bautista slammed a report by business news website Bilynaryo as “malicious and unfounded.”
The report claimed that he and DOTr Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Bobby Lim are facing heightened scrutiny over airport fee hikes without a green light from the Cabinet.
This came after the New Naia Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) announced higher airport terminal fees that will take effect beginning September next year, from a domestic terminal fee of P200 to P550 while international passengers will have to pay P950 from P550.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) also announced the implementation of higher parking rates at Naia starting Oct. 1.