Baggage porter services at Naia to be privatized

Arrival area of Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. Starting March 1, the baggage porter services at Naia will be privatized, the government operator of the country’s premier gateway said Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013. PHOTO BY RICK ALBERTO

MANILA, Philippines—Beginning March 1, the baggage porter services at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) will be privatized, the government operator of the country’s premier gateway said Thursday.

The Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa), in a statement, said arriving and departing passengers interested in availing of porterage services may do so for a fee of P50 or $1 per baggage.

Miaa general manager Jose Angel Honrado said the use of pushcarts at the Naia terminals will remain free of charge.

In its last regular meeting, the Miaa board awarded the contract to a professional service provider, which submitted the best offer during a public bidding held last Jan. 25.

The privatization of the service will translate to increased revenue for Miaa, which can be used for the further improvement and upgrading of facilities and services at the Naia, Honrado explained.

The Miaa did not identify the company that won the contract. The bidding invitation posted online late last year stated that the contract will be for one year and Miaa will be paid a minimum of 10 percent of the company’s monthly gross income.

According to the Miaa, porterage counters will be situated at the entrance of the terminals for departing passengers.

Arriving passengers, meanwhile, can avail themselves of the service at the porterage counters to be located after the customs counters at the arrival area.

Conspicuous signage in strategic areas will be in place for the information and convenience of the traveling public.

The free porter service was previously handled by the LBP Services Inc., which employed around 300 porters in Naia’s four terminals. The new porter-service provider is expected to absorb most of the LBP contractuals.

Other big projects that the Miaa is set to bid out this month and in March include the installation of 24 units of new baggage X-ray machines worth P93.6 million; the commissioning of 14 units of full-body scanning equipment worth P196 million; and the setting up of hydraulic security vehicle barriers worth P71-million in nine airside gates.