The protracted standoff between Customs, immigration and quarantine personnel at Naia and Mactan International Airport on one hand and the Board of Airline Representatives on the other over the issue of overtime pay may come to a head sooner than expected. Airlines, both domestic and foreign, still refuse to cover these employees’ overtime pay despite the fact that this has been the practice for the past 35 years.
I have been told that Customs, immigration and quarantine personnel at the two international airports have decided to stop working beyond the eight-hour period required of them as government personnel.
Since Customs is the one that opens doors for airlines coming in and going out, and immigration is the one that clears visas upon entry, the issue has international repercussions. And all because domestic and foreign airlines have utter disregard for the rule of law.
The crisis started when the Court of Appeals ruled that overtime pay for Customs, immigration and quarantine constituted “double compensation” and was therefore illegal. A motion for reconsideration was filed. Since the matter involved a constitutional question, it could even be elevated to the Supreme Court.
But the Board of Airline Representatives, headed by the Philippine Air Lines, decided instead to stop paying the overtime charges disregarding the fact that doing so was a violation of the rule of law. The Board has even demanded that the overtime pay should come from an additional $1 terminal fee, and that it should be government that should pay the overtime, which is an impossible demand since the national budget does not envision overtime pay for Customs, immigration and quarantine. The airlines even tried to offer paying only 50 percent—a clear slap on the face of Customs, immigration and quarantine.
Unless this crisis is resolved soon, the country’s tourism, attempts to attract foreign investment and its image are doomed to suffer. The President must step in. There is too much at stake. –Emil Jurado, Manila Standard Today
June 2025
Philippine Environment Month!
“Action for Nature, for the Future!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideosturesVideos
Monthly Observances:
1 Jun – World Day of Parents
5 Jun – World Environment Day
7 Jun – World Food Safety Day
8 Jun – World Oceans Day
12 Jun – World Day Against Child Labour
15 Jun – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
16 Jun – International Day of Family Remittances
17 Jun – World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
20 Jun – World Refugee Day
25 Jun – Day of the Seafarer
27 Jun – Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day
Daily Observances:
June 6: Migrant Workers Day
June 19: Filipino Youth Day
June 25: Day of the Filipino Seafarer
