NAIA Customs workers start getting overtime pay

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Airlines (PAL) president and CEO Jaime Bautista together with Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez confirmed yesterday that all employees of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) at the airport would receive on Dec. 13 some P250,000 each from PAL and other foreign airlines for rendering overtime service for five months.

Bautista said PAL issued P25-million worth of checks for the overtime pay of more than 400 Customs employees at the various air terminals nationwide.

Bautista said that PAL agreed to pay BOC employees who rendered overtime service for five months.

Bautista said that BOC has been demanding overtime pay for 11 months from PAL and the other airlines since 2009.

The Court of Appeals, however, ruled in favor of PAL when it questioned the BOC’s demand for overtime pay.

Bautista said the CA ruled that the airlines have no obligation to provide overtime pay to the BOC employees.

“This payment (P250,000) is a gesture of goodwill from PAL in the spirit of Christmas and in fairness to the employees of the Bureau of Customs who have already rendered service,” said Bautista.

The PAL official said as a gesture of goodwill hey would pay the overtime pay for the first five months, since there are still questions on the rest of the overtime pay.

Bautista and Alvarez and the Board of Airline Representative (BAR) would meet the technical committee that would resolve the issue of the 11 more months’ arrears for the BOC personnel.

“PAL is expecting that all other airlines would follow suit. It has agreed to shoulder the 5 months’ overtime pay based on the old rates, while the balance of 11 months will be paid out as soon as both parties agree on the terms of adjustment being hammered out by the technical committee,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez had ordered the immediate augmentation of the Customs work force at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) because of the Christmas season rush, where immigration sources revealed that balikbayans, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), tourists and holiday visitors are expected to increase and could reach the 10-million mark toward the end of the month at all three terminals of the NAIA.

He said that the BOC had activated the contingency plan with customs personnel and officials at the airport to ensure delivery of customs service for international flights arriving or departing before 8 a.m., between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., and beyond 5 p.m. as well as those arriving or departing on weekends and holidays. –Rudy Santos (The Philippine Star)