Airlines hail gov’t move for airports to open 24/7

3:09 am | Saturday, April 21st, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—Foreign and local airlines on Friday welcomed the government’s decision to stop charging airlines for the overtime pay of customs and other personnel manning airports and to adopt a 24/7 operation as practiced worldwide, saying this would make the country more competitive and hence attractive to business and tourists.

“This singular act speaks volumes in terms of governance. An airport is a gateway to the country and its services, including the enforcement of customs laws, are the responsibility of the government, not the airlines,” said lawyer Bayani Agabin, spokesperson of the Board of Airline Representatives (BAR).

Last month, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima told customs officials that international airports would go 24/7 instead of the present 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. shift and directed them to submit their manpower requirements for budget purposes.

Purisima’s move also resolved the dispute between BAR and airport customs personnel who have even included their meals and transportation in their overtime charges.

“The amount charged to airlines are excessive because if four airlines land, they charge four times for overtime, meals and transportation for the same hour that they serve,” Agabin said.

The feud between the airlines and airport customs worsened after the latter decided to double their charges in 2005, Agabin said.

Customs officials explained that the increase was due to the doubling of the exchange rate to around P50 to a dollar then from around P25 in the mid-’90s.

Told that customs people do not spend in dollars, they replied that it was irrelevant since airlines earn in dollars.

The question now, he said, is whether the airport customs people would comply with Purisima’s order.

“This issue was already resolved by former Customs Commissioner Lito Alvarez who ordered a 24/7 shifting operations at the airport effective January 2011. Incumbent Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon also supports 24/7 shifting operations as part of P-Noy’s ‘matuwid na daan’ so it was a surprise why airport customs recently sent new billings for overtime, meals and transportation,” he said.

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Tags: airlines , BAR , Bayani Agabin , Board of Airline Representatives , Bureau of Customs , Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima , overtime pay

txtman

Kapal muks talaga taga-customs!
GRABEEEEE!!!!
Hindi ba government agency run yan?
Dapat sumunod sila
If NOT, magresign or PALITAN na lang sila
Dali lang palitan mga yan
Madaming Pinoy ang walang trabaho at handang
magtrabaho ng tama.
Mga ganyan DAPAT priority ni PENOY
PITIFUL
lufthansa49

SHOULD HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED 20 YRS AGO!
rickysgreyes

I’d say 95 percent of Customs would fail a lifestyle check. If the government is serious in its crackdown on corruption, it should do lifestyle checks for all Customs employees. Remember that Customs employee fired for shooting at a student in his Porsche? Lahat ng empleyado ganyan kayaman. Political will from the very top is needed to clean up Customs. Biazon is unfortunately not doing a very good job, unlike Kim Henares.
Pluma Mana

i didn’t know our international airport was open only from 8:00am to 5:00pm. i thought it was 24/7 just like the other countries i’ve been to.

no wonder why our plane was told to return to its origin when we tried to land at past 5:00pm and told to come back the next day because it was already off hours for business.
http://jaoromero.com/ Jao Romero

maaangas yang mga taga customs na yan ah. si Biazon na mismo nag utos ayaw pa sumunod. pwede bang paki sibak na yan Biazon para wag ka naman nagmumukhang tanga jan. pinagmumukha kang tanga ng sarili mong mga tauhan eh. tanggalin mo na nga at nang makuha nila hinahanap nila.

o baka kailangang si Pnoy pa ang personal na kelangan sumabon dyan sa mga h@yup na yan?
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_5WAL4ZHJKGYUVI3C2UZQVAWYO4 Carl

Government civil servants the bastion of the corrupt. Better to refer to them as Uncivil non-servants.
If necessary, call them into your office, one at a time, and direct them verbally and in writing. Then if they fail to comply with that direction, fire them for disobedience to a lawful direction. A court case for firing 400 is not much more expensive than for firing one.
diamond_digger

the philippines is indeed a habitat of crocodiles. but while the giant croc lolong is attracting tourists and in a way bringing a boom to that impoverished town hosting it, the crocs at our premiere ports are doing the opposite by diving away the chances the country’s economy may have improve by their insatiable greed. kapal naman ng mga mukha ninyo! mas makapal pa yata kesa balat ni lolong.
kruger

It’s pretty obvious that there’s a customs syndicate directing operations at the airport.

These operators have always thought they are above the law and could do as they please.

It’s time for Biazon to put his foot down and put an end to this blatant extortion by customs personnel, lest he be accused of dipping his hands in the cookie jar himself….
oozingkev

laging nahuhuli ang pilipinas sa pag papatupad ng mga bagay to make it more competitive. these people are not really not working kasi kelangan pang umabot ng 2012, kelangan pang may report na ‘worst airport’ para bigyang pansin ang mga suliranin.
asdafaa qwesda

The airlines earn in dollars therefore you should charge in dollars?!?

Ah goverment civil servants the bastion of the incompetent. The basis of what you earn should be what you contribute not what your customer earns. Sigh why am i even talking, if these crooks understood and respected that principle they wouldn’t be civil servants.

Airlines hail gov’t move for airports to open 24/7

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