The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Sunday assured employees of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) of continued employment as it turns over the operations and maintenance of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to private private hands as part of its rehabilitation program.
Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said the concession agreement between the DOTr and SMC-SAP, Inc. is that MIAA personnel will keep their jobs.
The DOTr and the San Miguel Group are scheduled to sign the 15-year concession agreement for NAIA on 15 March this year, with the contract extendable by another 10 years. The turnover of NAIA operations is set on 11 September this year.
“Part of the concession agreement is for the concessionaire to offer positions to existing employees of the Manila International Airport Authority, be they regular employees, contract of service or job order employees. In other words, nobody loses his job here,” Bautista said partly in Filipino.
He emphasized the incoming concessionaire will prioritize hiring current employees, especially those employees involved in operations. Employees not involved in operations will remain in place as well, according to Bautista.
“If you believe you have a particular skillset necessary to keep this airport functioning, you have no reason to be anxious,” he said.
According to Bautista, MIAA will focus on being an airport regulator while the concessionaire will be in charge of operations and maintenance at NAIA.
“The whole exercise is intended to modernize NAIA, bring it in step with global aviation transformation,” Bautista said.
He urged MIAA employees to help government restore NAIA’s reputation as one of the world’s premier gateways.
“We need to reverse NAIA’s world’s worst airport repute. That needs to happen fast. Make sure you have the right morals and values when the transition starts,” he said.
