Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Thursday, June 22 said he is open to the proposal of passing a law that would institutionalize the Air Passenger Bill of Rights.
Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero (Senate PRIB Photo)
Escudero also wants stiffer penalties be imposed on violators to address the mounting grievances by travelers against poor airline services.
The senator said it is about time the current Congress look into legislating the Air Passenger Bill of Rights, a proposal supported by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) during Wednesday’s hearing conducted jointly by the Committees on Tourism and Public Services.
“Similar measures had been filed in previous Congress but nothing happened. It is about time that we, in the 19th Congress, should look into this seriously and hopefully pass the necessary legislation,” Escudero said.
CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla told senators during the hearing that the violations and penalties in the 71-year-old Republic Act 776 or the “Civil Aeronautics Act of the Philippines” have not been revised.
Arcilla also said the current law limits the fine to five thousand pesos (P5,000) for each violation.
On the other hand, the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights is not legislated but contained in the Joint Administrative Order No.1 of the then Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in 2012.
The Air Passenger Bill of Rights primarily protects air passengers from concerns such as delayed or canceled flights without appropriate warning, lost luggage, and overbooking of flights, among others.
It also covers pre-flight problems, such as misleading advertisements on plane fare.
During the hearing, senators tackled the complaints lodged by passengers on delayed and canceled flights, overbooking, offloading, offboarding, primarily committed by Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and Air Asia Philippines.
But airline officials also informed the senators that they are undertaking measures and are coordinating with concerned government agencies to address the situation effectively.