ILOILO City – A sticker accreditation system for airport taxis is being rolled out by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) at the Iloilo International Airport in a bid to end mounting complaints over additional baggage fees and restore public confidence in airport transport services.
Mayor Raisa Treñas said the move came after a viral social media post exposed a passenger being charged an extra P50 baggage fee upon arrival, sparking questions over transparency and fare practices at the Western Visayas’ main gateway.
As chair of the Regional Development Council in Western Visayas, Treñas said she convened transport stakeholders — including the Alliance of Taxi Operators in Panay (ATOP), transport network vehicle services (TNVS), and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) — to address the controversy.
“First of all, CAAP clarified that the memorandum they are implementing is related to luggage,” Treñas said.
According to the mayor, CAAP assured operators that once taxis secure official airport-issued stickers, no additional airport-related charges will be collected from them — a move seen as key to eliminating the need to pass on extra fees to passengers.
“CAAP explained to them that once they already have stickers, they will no longer be charged additional fees,” she said.
Treñas emphasized that airport transport policies must align with practices in other major gateways, citing her own experience at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila.
“I told them that maybe we have to review the practices in other areas like Manila. At NAIA Terminal 3, I personally take Grab rides and I am not charged extra,” she said.
She added that clearer policies on designated parking for TNVS units could rationalize operational costs.
“If you have your own parking area, then perhaps there are corresponding fees, and that may explain why you have designated parking areas for your units. You have to consider the practices in Manila and see if these can also be applied here,” Treñas said.
The mayor stressed that weekly meetings between CAAP and ATOP are ongoing to prevent confusion and protect passengers from arbitrary charges.
“They are meeting almost every week. I told ATOP that it does not reflect well on the city if passengers are being charged additional fees. Their plan is that once taxis have CAAP stickers, CAAP will no longer collect additional charges from our taxis,” she said.
For its part, ATOP chairperson Perfecto Yap defended the P50 baggage fee, saying it is anchored on LTFRB Memorandum Circular No. 2011-04.
He explained that the regulation allows each passenger to carry up to 10 kilograms of baggage free of charge, with excess weight subject to additional freight charges, although the circular does not prescribe a fixed rate.
Yap said operators opted for a flat P50 rate to avoid delays and disputes in computing excess baggage weight.
He added that many arriving passengers bring luggage beyond the free allowance, making the flat rate more practical for both drivers and commuters.
Still, the controversy has placed airport transport services under scrutiny, with City Hall pushing for clearer guidelines to ensure fair, transparent, and standardized charges.
Treñas said coordination remains ongoing among CAAP, transport groups, and regulators to safeguard passenger welfare and uphold Iloilo’s reputation as a hospitable and orderly travel hub.
Earlier, to protect airport passengers from possible overcharging, LTFRB Region 6 ordered taxis to strictly issue receipts, install clear signage and provide a weighing scale at the taxi bay of the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo.
LTFRB-6 director Richard Osmeña said the agency is tightening monitoring to ensure transparency in the collection of the P50 excess baggage fee, stressing that passengers must not be misled into thinking it is an unauthorized surcharge on top of the metered fare.
The baggage charge is anchored on Memorandum Circular No. 2011-004, or the 2011 Revised Terms and Conditions of Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC), which provides that “every passenger is entitled to a free carriage of 10 kilograms of baggage and shall pay the corresponding freightage for excess weight.”
However, Osmeña has yet to cite the specific provision authorizing the fixed P50 rate and vowed to furnish the media with the relevant order upon his return.
To safeguard commuters, the LTFRB-6 required ATOP to prominently display a tarpaulin at the airport taxi area explaining the excess baggage rule and the legal basis for the charge./PN
