Labor group slams NAIA fee hike, urges 50% train discount for minimum wage earners
MANILA, Philippines — The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the country’s largest labor group, is sounding the alarm over the planned increase in Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminal fees.
The group urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to act immediately on a proposed 50% train fare discount for minimum wage earners.
Starting this September, NAIA’s international terminal fee is set to rise from P550 to P950, while the domestic terminal fee will nearly double from P200 to P390.
According to TUCP, DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon defended the hikes, citing contractual obligations, yet he has remained "silent on the train fare discount urgently awaited by over a million minimum wage earners in Metro Manila."
TUCP Party-list Rep. and Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito Mendoza questioned the priority of the DOTr.
“Kami ay nagtataka kung bakit sa usapin ng taas-singil sa airport na lubhang masakit sa bulsa ng karaniwang pasahero ay mabilis magsalita si Sec. Vince, bakit sa diskwento sa tren para sa ating mga manggagawang minimum—na araw-araw pumipila ng madaling araw at nakikipagsiksikan araw-araw—ay tikom ang bibig?" Mendoza asked.
(We are puzzled why, on the issue of the airport fee hike, which heavily hurts the wallets of ordinary passengers, Secretary Vince speaks quickly, yet on the train discount for our minimum wage workers—who line up early every morning and squeeze in daily—he remains silent?)
"Hindi ba’t tungkulin muna niya tiyakin na aayos ang serbisyo ng NAIA bago mangolekta ng halos doble? At hindi ba nararapat na sa panahon ngayon kung saan lugmok sa kahirapan at kagutuman ang nakararaming pamilyang Pilipino ay ang inaatupag natin ay bawas-singil kaysa dobleng singil?” he added,
(Isn’t it his duty first to ensure that NAIA’s services are in order before collecting nearly double the fees? And isn’t it only right that, in this time when most Filipino families are struggling with poverty and hunger, we focus on reducing fees rather than doubling them?)
Mendoza said that minimum wage earners endure daily long lines, crowded commutes and rising living costs.
"Huwag hayaang masakripisyo ang kakarampot na sweldo ng manggagawa na dapat ay para sa pagkain at pabahay para lamang makapasok at makauwi galing trabaho,” he said.
(Do not let the meager wages of workers, which should be spent on food and housing, be sacrificed just to get to and from work.)
The labor group urged the DOTr to hold immediate consultations with workers and other stakeholders to ensure that airport fees and train fares remain fair and balanced for the commuting public.
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