MANILA — Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal said on Wednesday the unrefunded terminal fees of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who passed through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) remain intact.
MIAA Media Affairs Division head Jess Martinez earlier told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that the unrefunded terminal fees do not go to MIAA’s fund. “It (fund) is placed in an account, and passengers can refund their terminal fees any day they can,” he said.
According to Monreal, the money will remain in a trust account, until fully refunded by the passengers.
Earlier this week, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said he is reiterating his call for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAP) and airlines to return the terminal fees and travel taxes collected from OFWs.
The law exempts migrant workers and OFWs registered with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) from paying travel tax and airport fee.
OFWs who passed through the NAIA, which is being managed by MIAA, may refund the terminal fee at the MIAA Collection Division during business hours, officials said.
The OFWs must bring with them their tickets with record locator, a valid ID, and a copy of their Overseas Employment Certificate, they added.
Meanwhile, Monreal noted that as of Nov. 6, the airlines have remitted to MIAA a total of PHP277,654,379.
More than half of this amount was remitted by Cebu Pacific for the unused tickets from Feb. 1, 2015 to April 30, 2018.
More than PHP105 million of the total remitted fees, on the other hand, came from 18 international carriers, and this covers the unrefunded terminal fees of both the OFWs and non-OFWs passengers.
The terminal fee for international flights was first integrated into the airline tickets in February 2015, while the integration in the domestic flight tickets started in August 2012.
Martinez earlier explained that MIAA does not require airlines to remit the unrefunded terminal fees of their passengers.
“Remittance would depend on the carrier’s initiative,” he said. (/PNA)
