At least two major labor groups are calling for a thorough investigation into the agreement that paved the way for the privatization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

What the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) and the National Confederation of Labor (NCL) want, in their statement, is an independent oversight to ensure that national security and public accountability are not threatened as a result of the deal.

“The Filipino people were promised modernization. What they are now seeing is the slow surrender of public accountability, labor protection, and national sovereignty,” the groups stated in a joint statement. 

The groups were referring to the multibillion-peso deal entered into by the Department of Transportation and the Manila International Airport Authority in 2024 with the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp (NNIC), a consortium led by San Miguel Corp, to modernize the country's primary gateway.

Both the BMP and the NCL said lawmakers should determine whether the government surrendered excessive control of NAIA to private interests and to review the national security implications of the privatization framework. 

The groups claimed that the independent consultant mechanism was ignored because it was deemed too expensive.

“This is not a simple technical violation. This is a dangerous collapse of independent oversight in one of the country’s most critical national infrastructures. A privatization contract without independent oversight is nothing more than a blank check handed to corporate interests,” the groups said.

“NAIA is not an ordinary business venture. It is the country’s primary international gateway, directly tied to national security, anti-smuggling operations, anti-trafficking enforcement, emergency response, and border protection. Have we subcontracted national security?” they added.

The groups also raised the issue of workers face displacement and the collapse of small businesses under the new management.

PUSO ng NAIA industry group President Romeo Sauler said in a separate statement that the contractor immediately shifted the financial burden of modernization onto ordinary Filipinos by raising airport fees and travel costs during a period of high inflation and a weak local currency.

Sauler said the increase in rental rates forced many small businesses inside the airport terminals to close or scale down, causing immediate job losses.