3 days ago
Airport workers, others seek SC help vs. NAIA concession agreement
Partido Lakas ng Masa national president Leody de Guzman with Atty. Kit Belmonte during the filing of a petition asking the Supreme Court to declare the NAIA PPP Project as unconstitutional. Photo by Joahna Lei Casilao, GMA Integrated News
Airport workers, civic organizations, and non-government groups on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court (SC) to declare the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project as unconstitutional due to the increase of airport-related fees.
Through the PPP project, the management of the airport was transferred to the San Miguel-led New NAIA Infra Corporation (NNIC).
In their 37-page petition, they also asked the SC to issue a temporary restraining order and a writ of preliminary injunction to prevent the respondents from enforcing the Manila International Airport Authority Administrative Order No. 1 Series of 2024, which granted NNIC charge and collect airport-related fees.
The petitioners also asked the SC to declare the said MIAA administrative order unconstitutional, illegal, void, and of no effect.
'Kapag hindi na nakaya ng kanilang mga kumpanya ang mga upa diyan, magbabawas ng tao diyan. 'Yan ang cause and effect niyan,' petitioner and Pagkakaisa ng mga Users, Stakeholders, at Obrero ng NAIA or PUSO ng NAIA head secretariat Romeo Sauler said.
(When their companies can no longer afford the rent there, they will reduce their workforce there. That is the cause and effect of it.)
Sauler believes that even the public will be affected by the project.
'Definitely,' he said.
MRO providers
'Saan babawiin ng mga airline companies or mga MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul services) provider 'yang kanilang babayad sa upa. Di ba? So kami, ang sa amin, hindi lang ito para sa mga manggagawa o negosyo na nasa paligid ng airport kung hindi sa mamamayang Pilipino in general,' he added.
(Where will the airline companies or MRO providers recover what they pay for rent? So for us, this is not just for the workers or businesses around the airport but for the Filipino people in general.)
Terminal fee
According to the petitioners, the domestic passenger service charge or terminal fee is expected to increase from P200 to 390 while the international passenger service charge is expected to increase from P550 to P950. — BAP, GMA Integrated News