MANILA – A Filipino migrant rights group called Migrante-Middle East has urged President Benigno Aquino to respect a provision of a special law that exempt overseas Filipino workers from paying the P550 airport terminal fee.
An agreement between the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), a government agency adjunct to the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), and airline carriers was signed on July 1 this year stipulating the integration of the collection of International Passenger Service Charge otherwise known as terminal fee into the airfare cost.
“President Aquino has the responsibility to implement a law or a provision of a special law in this case Republic Act 10022, the amended Migrant Workers Act of 2010. RA 10022 mandated the exemption of overseas Filipino workers from paying airport terminal fees,” M-ME regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said.
He said the MIAA and airline companies’ agreement to collect P550 terminal fee from OFWs was ill-advised. “The DOTC and MIAA pay first-refund later scheme is a direct attack on OFWs mere common sense,” Monterona said.
The DOTC and MIAA announced its plan to implement the integration of the P550 terminal fee on the airfare cost on October 1, but due to widespread protests by various OFWs groups around the world the implementation was moved to November 1.
“We are receiving reports that at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, out-bound OFWs were asked to pay the P550 terminal fees, especially those whose tickets did not indicate the payment of P550 terminal fee, and those who failed to obtain an exemption certificate from airlines ticketing office,” Monterona claimed.
Monterona also called on pro-OFW legislators to question the legality of the accord signed by DOTC and MIAA with airlines companies.
“To our fellow OFWs around the world, in various ways and means, let’s show and concretize our disgust against the Aquino government, which did not only failed to protect our inherent rights as migrant workers but also attacking the legal rights we have gained via legislative fiat. Intensify our protest and say no to P550 terminal fee,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner, Migrante)
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