The Philippine Department of Transportation (DOTr) has denied the appeal of Miascor Ground Handling Corporation to reconsider the termination of its contract as ground-handling service provider at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
In a statement on March 15, DOTr said its decision was based on “careful evaluation of facts surrounding an incident of baggage pilferage involving MIASCOR’s employees, and in line with the clear directive of President Rodrigo Duterte for MIASCOR’s contract to be terminated…”
DOTr said it “stands firm in its decision not to renew the company’s contract with the Manila International Airports Authority (MIAA) beyond April 2018.”
“The President has also said that he will not entertain any appeal from MIASCOR Aviation Services,” DOTr said.
MIAA general manager Eddie Monreal in a letter dated January 19 told Miascor it would no longer renew the company’s lease and concession agreement that was dated July 8, 2014 and expired in March 2017. Monreal said that after the agreement expired, Miascor had operated under a contract that was renewed monthly.
READ: MIASCOR loses contract at Manila airport, will appeal decision
MIAA gave Miascor 60 days from January 19 to vacate all premises it occupies inside the airport complex and its terminals.
Aside from MIAA, Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) also terminated Miascor’s contract, which was originally set to expire on September 7, 2024. Last January, CIAC gave Miascor, which provides ground-handling and ramp services to five international and domestic carriers at Clark International Airport (CRK), 60 days to wind down its operations.
The non-renewal and termination of Miascor’s contracts stemmed from an incident of baggage pilferage involving six of the ground-handling service provider’s employees at CRK, which prompted Duterte to order the termination of Miascor’s contract.
READ: 6 Miascor staff axed, charged with theft at Clark airport
Jovinal Dela Cruz, an overseas Filipino worker, had arrived on December 23, 2017 at CRK; his baggage followed the day after. In a Facebook post, Dela Cruz complained that his baggage had been looted.
CIAC and Miascor investigated the incident and on January 13 terminated the services of the six passenger service agents who admitted to pilfering the baggage of Dela Cruz.
On January 10, Miascor compensated Dela Cruz for his loss in the amount of P82,824.
CIAC on January 13 filed criminal charges of theft against the six Miascor employees. Miascor also filed separate charges of qualified theft against the suspects.
Miascor had apologized and appealed to Duterte to reconsider his order on behalf of the ground-handling operator’s almost 4,000 regular employees and their families who would be affected.
“It is unfortunate that the actions of six erring employees in Clark International Airport have negatively impacted the Company,” Miascor earlier said in a statement.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
