THE Manila International Airport Authority or MIAA continues to turn a deaf ear to the pleas of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for the agency to honor the exemption granted by law to migrant workers on airport terminal fees. Our expatriate workers availed of this exemption for 19 years prior to Feb. 1, 2015 when MIAA proceeded with its integration policy.
MIAA General Manager Angel Honrado argues that less than 200,000 overseas Filipino workers are affected by the new policy since majority of the OFWs leave the country with tickets purchased by their agencies or employers. He admitted that the system couldn’t allow the grant of exemptions for OFWs who buy tickets online or overseas, hence the need to line up for refunds before they leave again.
The real issue here is the violation of an existing law, namely, the Migrant Workers’ Act of 1995, and its subsequent amendatory law, Republic Act No. 10022. In both laws, OFWs are exempted from paying the travel tax and the airport terminal fee upon proof of status as an overseas worker. That an OFW that purchases his or her ticket abroad or online would have to shoulder the terminal fee violates these laws. Note that the concept of a “refund” for OFWs does not appear in any of these laws. Why should an OFW line up to claim a refund for a fee that he or she is exempted from paying?
Twenty senators led by Sen. Cynthia Villar signed a unanimous resolution urging General Manager Honrado to stop the integration of terminal fees until the system can be re-designed to distinguish OFW passengers from tourist and other passengers. The POEA has gallantly offered to the MIAA its help in working on such a software system or platform. During the last Senate public hearing, an IT expert from Microsoft said that such a platform is doable while airline companies also expressed willingness to explore how it can be done as long as the expenses are shouldered by the Philippine government.
Against all these offers, the MIAA official stuck to his position and even told the senators that he would not endorse the temporary suspension of the terminal fee integration to the agency’s Board of Directors. This brings to fore even more questions not only on the part of the OFWs but also from several legislators: “Why the haste in implementing the terminal fee integration policy?”
Congressman Karlo Nograles, chair of the House labor committee, has called on the Commission on Audit to undertake an audit of current and previous terminal fee collections. The Department of Labor and Employment has taken a clear and strong position against the collection of terminal fees from OFWs, despite the refund system. DOLE has stated that MIAA’s policy contravenes existing laws.
The OFW sector hopes that the Department of Foreign Affairs would also come out with a similar position given its role as guardians of our workers overseas. MIAA’s blatant disregard of the Migrant Workers’ Act is a sign of disrespect not only for our modern-day heroes but also for the rule of law. MIAA should realize that OFWs are among its major clientele. Certainly, they deserve better treatment than this from their own government.
