MANILA, Philippines – The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has relieved the manager of the Kalibo International Airport (KIA) in Aklan to give way to the investigation of the multimillion-peso terminal fee scam at the airport.
CAAP Director General William K. Hotchkiss III issued the order relieving Martin Tere of his post on June 6, effective June 16.
Hotchkiss designated Rafael Tatlonghari, acting Area Center VII manager, to replace Tere in a concurrent capacity.
Hotchkiss issued the order after CAAP unearthed a scam at the airport wherein some personnel allegedly issued used terminal fee tickets to passengers so they can pocket the payment.
Last month, CAAP terminated 11 KIA casual employees over the scam and placed one regular employee on preventive suspension pending the investigation.
For the two months – January and February of this year – the sacked workers were found to have pocketed a total of P10 million from the scam. The KIA terminal fee for a domestic flight is P200 and P700 for international travel.
CAAP’s Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) is still investigating the group’s possible involvement in the scam for several years.
KIA is one of the country's busiest airports, popular among both domestic and foreign travelers headed to world-famous Boracay Island. In 2014, more than 2 million passengers used the airport. – Rappler.com
Photo of KIA from Wikimedia Commons