The Passenger Forum (TPF) formally submits on Monday a petition to the Office of the President and to the Department of Transportation a petition – with more than 1 million participants – saying they want the Ninoy Aquino International Airport rehabilitated before the term of the President ends.
A copy of the petition, which was also submitted today to the Senate Committee on Public Services and the House Committee on Transportation, was based on the online survey conducted from January 1-10 that has a total of 1,077,382 respondents (as of January 10, 6:00 p.m.).
TPF Convenor Primo Morillo said, they are hopeful that the President will hear the Filipino people on this issue, and will make this happen as part of his Build-Build-Build legacy.
“We know that the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) Board will be reconvening soon, and we hope that they and the Department of Transportation will see that this is what the Filipino people need and would want to see through before our President finishes his term,” Morillo said.
“For now, there was still no consultation made by the MIAA Board or the DOTr with stakeholders like us. The last time we were consulted about it by the government, as stakeholders, was in the Senate hearing last December. We will gladly sit down with them and work with them to make this happen. This is for the country, and that should be the most important consideration of all,” Morillo added.
With its most popular hashtag reaching 11 million views on Tiktok, the NAIA rehabilitation project drew widespread support online as a cloud of uncertainty hovers over the initiative to improve the country’s primary international gateway. The Tiktok trend also came with the announcement of commuter network The Passenger Forum (TPF) that their online survey found out that 96.7% agree that the project must proceed without delay.
According to Morillo, “This poll further strengthened our resolve to campaign for the immediate rehabilitation of NAIA. There should be no further delay, the project has to start the soonest possible time. “
TPF members and their supporters actively advocated for the online survey through various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok. Several hashtags were used by netizens in support of the campaign including #BetterNAIAnow, #FixNAIAnow, and #TransformNAIA.
“The campaign is most effective in Tiktok where all of the hashtags we used has at least 9.8 million views each. As Tiktok is used mainly by young people, we see this as the youth’s assertion that they want a better NAIA in the future that actually belongs to them,” Morillo added.
TPF, in previous statements to the media, has repeatedly asserted that the low volume of travelers using NAIA during the pandemic is an opportunity to fast-track its rehabilitation with less inconvenience to the riding public.
Morillo said, “We’re waiting and are on the look on what will be discussed by the MIAA and the DOTr to resolve their current issues with the private proponent that presented a comprehensive plan for the NAIA rehabilitation.”
“We demand transparency from the MIAA Board, the DOTr, and even the private proponent. The Filipino people deserve no less,” Morillo added.
Aside from favoring immediate NAIA rehabilitation, the TPF survey also found out that 95.8% agree that NAIA’s terminals need to be interconnected via train, and that 96.3% prefer that the project be entrusted to a company with a proven track record in building quality airports.