Senator Raffy Tulfo is pushing for an urgent Senate investigation to look into the problems hounding airports in the Philippines.
Tulfo, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, filed last July 15, 2024 Senate Resolution No. 1069 to investigate the issues hounding the country’s gateways.
Among these problems, Tulfo said the long passenger lines and persistent malfunctioning of electronic gates at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) are causing some travelers to miss their flights.
Tulfo found out that airport e-gates scanners for arriving passengers often fail to read passports and boarding passes.
Due to this, passengers are forced to queue for manual processing instead, which doubles the time spent at the counters, and at times resulted in the failure of passengers to catch their connecting flight.
Commotion also builds up at the airport since passengers who are weary from their overseas journey turn irate and argue with fellow passengers in the queue.
He noted that the experience is similar for departing passengers who are not able to board their international flights due to prolonged immigration screenings.
Adding to their burden are a number of non-operational escalators, walkalators, carousels, and tubes.
Tulfo lamented that “passengers are the ones carrying the burden of the inconvenience, as they had to spend extra money to re-book their tickets and stay extra hours at the airport’s lobby, even when they are not the ones at fault.”
As such, he urged airport authorities to post signages at the Arrival and Departure areas of the airport terminals, informing passengers of their rights in cases of missed flights due to immigration lines and other boarding problems.
The senator stressed that the Department of Transportation should set up airport information booths manned by their personnel to guide all passengers needing assistance with their flights and travel concerns.
