PROVINCIAL board member Atty. Tomas Abapo, Jr. has raised three concerns over the city seaport luggage fee fiasco as the Sangguniang Panlalawigan has started investigating it.
Veteran lawmaker Atty. Tomas D. Abapo Jr., pointed out that the SP should see to it if there was really “discourtesy” and “incompetence” on the part of the seaport management.
And also that the SP should find out if the city port is now tagged as a “tourist-unfriendly” as a result of the ruckus involving some passengers, who were allegedly asked to pay exorbitant luggage fees before their baggage loaded on a cart could be allowed.
This developed as the investigation in aid of legislation conducted by SP last week over the luggage fee mess even as SP tries to come up a holistic approach and firm solution.
As board member Atty. Jamie Villamor, Tourism Committee Chair, said that “importante sa trabaho nato to look beyond the surface, address the issues holistically, not piecemeal, and look for long-term, not band-aid solutions.”
This came as a certain Christiannae Pizarras Cagas, who earlier posted on Facebook and appeared before the committee meeting to pour her disappointment over what she called “hostage fee” of her baggage.
When she and her companion arrived from Cebu via fastcraft, they hired a porter and paid P400.00 to help them for all their luggage.
“Everything was fine until, out of nowhere, a “Global Port staff” stopped us and said we had to pay an extra fee of ₱100 per big box and ₱50 per small one. 1,000 sad among ma bayran.”
They were shocked, she said.
As this developed, she raised important queries: There were No signs, no announcements, no warning of said fees; No clear criteria… how big is “big” and how small is “small” cargoes would be?; “it felt like a hostage situation… we were told that if we didn’t pay, our baggage wouldn’t be released.”
And she said “What about seniors or people traveling alone? I asked, “What if a senior arrives with heavy baggage but doesn’t have enough money for both the porter and this fee?”
For now, there are more questions than answers: How does this help tourism? Who approved this baggage fee, and where does the money go? Why was there no public announcement? Isn’t this basically a “ransom fee” for our own baggage, Cagas lamented.
She appealed to the concerned agency, the city, provincial government, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) to address the situation and to make baggage fee explained to the riding public. She even suggested for the government to impose a baggage tariff and clearly announced. (rvo)
