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Gov’t employees on official trips to get fare discounts from AirAsia
By TED CORDERO,GMA News Government employees on official trips can now avail of discounted fares from low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines starting Wednesday, May 2, following the signing of a Government Fare Agreement (GFA).
The GFA was signed between AirAsia Philippines and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in Pasig City.
Under the agreement, AirAsia will give 8 percent to 9 percent airfare discounts to all government employees on official domestic trips.
Government employees also qualify for a complimentary 20-kilogram baggage and having their rebooking fees waived.
Government agencies across the Philippines can tap the discounted fares via the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement Service (PhilGEPS) of the DBM.
“Being an initiative of the Department of Budget and Management and the Procurement Service (PS), it seeks to limit costs and secure savings in the procurement of air transport needs of all government employees for their official trips,” Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said during the signing ceremony.
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Diokno said the GFA with AirAsia is the third forged by the government following the signing of similar discounted fare deals with Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific last year.
“It took us a while to get here to formally sign a partnership deal, our first ever with the government or any administration. We are relatively new, the youngest kid in the airline block,” AirAsia Philippines CEO Dexter Commendador said.
According to the DBM, a total of 138 government agencies are now enjoying the benefits of the GFA. These range from national government agencies, to State Universities and Colleges, and government-owned and controlled corporations.
“The DBM will continue to find ways to get the most out of taxpayers’ money. This means ensuring that government processes are not only cost-efficient and streamlined, but also transparent and easily accessible to the various government agencies,” the Budget chief said.
As of end-December 2017, a total of P202.8 million in sales have been generated from the agreements with PAL and Cebu Pacific.
Diokno said the savings generated through the GFAs amounted to about P19.5 million. —VDS, GMA News