DOTr eyes raps, shutdown of site charging up to P40k for one-way air fare

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is seeking the filing of charges and closure of an online booking site that charges almost P40,000 for one-way plane tickets.

“I’ve asked the [Philippine National Police] to take it down, PNP Cybercrime to take down this website today,” Dizon said in a press briefing.

“I have also asked, apart from the cease and desist order issued by the [Civil Aeronautics Board] last May 26, the CAB and the DOTr Aviation Group… to immediately file… a criminal economic sabotage case,” he added.

According to Dizon, Leyte Representative Richard Gomez informed the DOTr that he and his wife bought two one-way tickets from Tacloban to Manila for P77,704 through AirAsia Move, an alleged Malaysian-based travel platform.

In another incident, two one-way tickets were bought for P50,000.

Dizon said that a one-way ticket bought from the site of another airline only cost around P12,000.

“So, clearly, this is just absurd, no? And really bordering— well, not bordering, this is actually criminal. Criminal na itong ginagawa ng AirAsia Move na ito (this action of AirAsia Move is really criminal),” he said.

The DOTr chief said that AirAsia Move asserted its independence in response to the cease and desist order previously issued by CAB.

“Sumagot po si AirAsia Move. Ang sinabi nila, okay, we will try our best… to comply pero hindi naman kami under sa inyo, eh. ‘Yun ang last paragraph nila,” Dizon said.

(AirAsia Move responded and said, “Okay, we will try our best… to comply, but we’re not under your jurisdiction.” That was their last paragraph.)

“We respectfully submit [that] the CAB’s jurisdiction under RA 776 applies to air carriers, not foreign-based [online travel agencies],” he added, citing the response of AirAsia Move.

Dizon said this was “unacceptable,” calling on the public to avoid buying tickets from the online platform.

Meanwhile, he said that airline AirAsia does not have anything to do with the platform.

“They’re affiliated but I don’t think AirAsia, in fairness to AirAsia Philippines, no, the airline… I don’t think they have anything to do with this,” Dizon.

He said he has also instructed CAB to investigate other online platforms that may be doing the same thing.

AirAsia Move responds

In a statement released Monday afternoon, MOVE chief executive officer Nadia Omer said it does not manually set or manipulate airfares, as it clarified that it is an online travel agency that displays flight inventory and pricing as provided by its authorized upstream suppliers.

“The discrepancies in fare displays for certain routes, including domestic flights operated by Philippine Airlines, were caused by temporary data synchronization issues with flight pricing partners,” she said.

“This technical discrepancy caused by the third-party provider is not isolated to MOVE as it also affected other booking platforms across the industry, including Agoda, Kiwi.com, and Traveloka,” she added.

Omer said MOVE also took “immediate steps” and brought up the matter with the third-party pricing provider for resolution, and has since enhanced safeguards to prevent a repeat of the situation.

“MOVE has been working closely with relevant authorities and is fully compliant with all regulatory requirements applicable to Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) operating in the Philippines,” she said.

“MOVE welcomes the opportunity to proactively engage with relevant authorities to provide clarity on the issue and asks for due process to take its course for the benefit of all passengers booked via the platform,” she added.

San Juanico rehab

In a statement Monday, the Office of Civil Defense said it has asked CAB and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, through a letter to Transportation Secretary Dizon, to probe the reported increases in passenger and cargo air fares in Eastern Visayas amid the restrictions on San Juanico Bridge.

"We respectfully appeal to the CAB and the CAAP to immediately look into this matter and implement appropriate legal measures to thwart or regulate these purported air fare and cargo fare increases," OCD administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said.

Among the trips with reported higher air fares are those heading to Tacloban and Ormoc City in Leyte as well as to Catarman in Northern Samar.

The OCD suggested increasing the number of flights in Ormoc, Calbayog, Catarman, and Tacloban while the San Juanico Bridge is being rehabilitated.

To complement the proposed increase in flights, the OCD also suggested issuing provisional permits and certificates of public convenience for public transport and movement of goods.

The OCD hopes that these measures can be quickly facilitated by the Philippine Ports Authority, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and Maritime Industry Authority.

A three-ton load limit has been imposed on San Juanico Bridge since May 15 after an assessment showed that there are significant structural compromises to the bridge. Only the middle portion of the bridge is open for motorists.

Completed in 1972, San Juanico Bridge is the only permanent land link between the islands of Samar and Leyte. It is a vital artery of the Maharlika Highway that connects Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the restriction halted the passage of heavy cargo vehicles.

This severely disrupted the transport of food, medicine, agricultural products, construction materials, and other essential commodities across the region.

According to the NDRRMC, the restrictions on San Juanico Bridge could result in up to P600 million monthly economic losses as 14,000 vehicles cross the infrastructure daily.

Around P7 billion is needed for the repair and rehabilitation of San Juanico Bridge amid concerns on its structural integrity, the NDRRMC said.

The NDRRMC has recommended to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to declare a state of calamity in the entire region of Eastern Visayas.

Currently, Tacloban City and Samar Province are under a state of emergency. —With a report from Jon Viktor Cabuenas/AOL/RF, GMA Integrated News