Pasay court stops planned integration of terminal fee into airfare

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–The Pasay City Regional Trial Court Branch 109 has stopped the government’s move to integrate the P550 airport terminal fee into airfare beginning Nov. 1.

In an order issued Friday by Judge Tingaraan U. Guiling, the court stopped the Department of Transportation and Communications and the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) from implementing Memorandum Circular No. 8 (MC8) series of 2014.

MC8 was supposed to be implemented last Oct. 1 but was moved to Nov. 1 upon the request of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). The MC8 mandates airline and travel agencies to integrate the P550 terminal fee to the price of airline tickets.

The restraining order will be in place for 20 days.

During the Oct. 30 hearing, lawyer Perla Dumo, MIAA Legal Division head said they only received the court order setting the Oct. 30 hearing in the afternoon of Oct. 29, thus they did not have enough time to prepare.

“After hearing the arguments of both parties as to the urgency of the issuance of TRO, the Court believes that there is a need to restrain respondents from implementing MC8 and hereby grants the same,” the court stated in its order.

A group of OFWs pointed out that the MC8 violates the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Act of 1995 which exempts migrant workers from terminal fees.

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