Press Release
March 16, 2017

Nancy welcomes scrapping of OFW terminal fee

Senator Nancy Binay on Thursday welcomed the signing of an agreement that waived the P550 International Passenger Service Charge (IPSC) for Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and some 40 air carriers yesterday agreed to no longer collect the P550 terminal fee from departing OFWs starting April 30, 2017.

"This is a welcome relief to our OFWs who have had to trade time which could have been spent with their loved ones in order to earn a living in other countries. Hindi biro ang P550 terminal fee na karagdagang pabigat sa ating mga OFW. This fee should never have been shouldered by them in the first place," Binay said.

Back in 2015, the lady senator said the integration of the IPSC in airline tickets was a disservice to OFWs, prompting her to file in 2015 a Senate resolution which called for an investigation on the issue. The IPSC integration was moved to November 1, 2014 from October 1, 2014 after the Pasay Regional Trial Court temporarily stopped its collection from OFWs. The fee was included into airline tickets of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific on February 1, 2015.

"Taliwas sa Migrant Workers Act ang pagpataw ng nasabing fee, gayong sa ilalim ng batas na ito ay hindi na nila dapat iniintindi ang airport fee, travel tax at documentary stamp," Binay said.

Under the Migrant Workers' Act of 1995, the said fee should be waived upon presenting an overseas employment certificate (OEC) but OFWs had no choice but to pay for the IPSC as it was already integrated in their plane tickets.

"Tama lamang na tanggalin na ang dagdag pasakit na ito sa mga kababayan nating baka inipon o ipinangutang pa ang perang ipinambili ng plane ticket nila. Ang pagsingil sa OFWs ng IPSC ay pagsasabi sa kanila na hindi pa sapat ang iwan nila ang kanilang mga pamilya para lamang maiangat ang kanilang buhay," said Binay.

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