Toilet jokes about the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) may soon be a thing of the past.
Local airlines in the Philippines have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to take charge of ensuring restrooms at NAIA terminals are well cared for and maintained.
Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air, AirAsia, PAL Express, and Cebgo agreed on July 7 to undertake, at no cost to the government, the maintenance and upkeep of public restrooms at the four NAIA terminals, which are managed by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).
The MOA was signed by airline representatives and officials from the DOTC and attached agency MIAA, as well as the Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions (PAGSS).
Transport Secretary Atty. Arthur Tugade said the agreement marks the start of cooperation between the current administration and the private sector, aimed at the common goal of delivering improved services to the riding public.
Tugade said he is confident that the complaints of the general riding public regarding the conditions of public restrooms at the country’s main gateway will be addressed once the carriers start bringing the facilities up to international standards.
The transport secretary noted that one of the basic problems “which irritated the community is the issue of maintenance of the washrooms and utilities inside the airport,” and the “disappointing” quality of maintenance provided by contractors.
“So it has come to me that one way to approach this is to remove that activity from government and give it to the people that are operating in the airport,” Tugade pointed out.
Online travel site Guide to Sleeping in Airports last year placed NAIA as the eighth worst airport in the Asia, actually an improvement from being the worst since 2011. The online travel guide, however, noted there are still many things to improve in the airport such as “the poor customer service, the long queues, the sub-par food selection, the lack of restrooms and the crowded seating areas.”
Tugade emphasized that the MOA is in line with principles of the Duterte administration to encourage consultation, cooperation, and mutual trust between government and the private sector.
Tugade added that aside from the MOA, he “hopes that the government and the private sector could explore other areas of cooperation for the betterment of the country.”
The MOA signing was attended by Transport undersecretary for aviation and airports Roberto Lim, new MIAA general manager Ed Monreal, PAL president and COO Jaime Bautista, Cebu Pacific president and CEO Lance Gokongwei, AirAsia COO Capt. Dexter Comendador, PALEx president Bonifacio Sam, Cebgo president and CEO Michael Ivan Shau, and PAGSS assistant vice president for finance and administration Leah de Guzman Jover.
Image courtesy of artur84 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
