Uncompromising spirit wins the day at Naia 3

Last July 28, after we landed in Manila and as we were looking for the exit doors at the departure area of Ninoy Aquino International Airport  Terminal 3 (Naia 3), we came across a group of disappointed, disgruntled and angry passengers. They had been barred by airport security personnel from taking regular metered taxis and were told that airport taxis were available right outside the arrival area. This, even as the “loading” sign at the Naia 3 departure area remained, indicating where passengers could take regular taxis.

When the passengers asked to speak to airport management, airport security told them that it was just following a verbal order that had been in effect for three days; and that those who didn’t want to take the expensive airport taxis may either walk the distance out of the airport grounds where they can hail regular taxis; or (2) take airport shuttles with limited routes. Neither of which was a convenient option, especially for those carrying several pieces of luggage or traveling with children, much less for senior citizens and persons with disability.

The passengers stood their ground and wrote a complaint addressed to Naia management. A fellow passenger gave testimony that he had “been riding regular taxis from Terminal 3 to save money for the past 3 years,” because “airport taxi charges more than double the regular taxi fare.”

Naia management’s explanation for barring regular taxis from picking up passengers inside the Naia 3 premises was to ensure the safety of passengers. Management claimed that it had been receiving a number of complaints about regular metered taxis “contracting” passengers to pay a fixed, higher fare, and about other forms of deceit.

We believe, however, that as consumers, as explicitly stated in the Eight Basic Consumer Rights, we are entitled to exercise the right to choose “products at competitive prices with an assurance of satisfactory quality.”

Besides, not all passengers can afford to pay a thousand pesos or more for a taxi service from the airport to Manila or elsewhere. Given the cheap airplane fares in the market now, a ride on an airport taxi could end up much more expensive than a plane ride.

As of this writing, the Naia 3 management and Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) have clarified that regular metered taxis are still allowed to pick up passengers at the Naia 3 departure area, except that these taxis are prohibited from queuing up. MIAA has also stated that the “mix-up” that day was the result of “miscommunication” between management and security.

Dakila lauds the people who held their ground against nonexistent policies. It is hoped that Filipinos will respond to every situation our country faces, not just to those that personally affect them, with the same uncompromising spirit—to assert one’s right, to resist what’s wrong and to stay vigilant at all times—for it is this kind of spirit that empowers the people and nurtures genuine democracy.

—RENEE JULIENE KARUNUNGAN,

spokesperson,

Dakila-Philippine Collective For Modern Heroism, [email protected]