Manila International Airport Authority general manager Eric Jose Ines is considering revoking the contracts of pest control and housekeeping units, saying he is not satisfied with the way they handled their jobs at airport terminals.
Ines made the statement on the heels of two separate incidents of rat and bed bug infestations at Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals 2 and 3.
He admitted there were also lapses on the part of the private concessioners to clean and maintain the four terminal facilities properly.
“I saw the contracts and the term of reference, it shows they only have eight (😎 personnel handling the terminal. So, what I am saying is this is not enough. If only we could change this,” said Ines in a radio interview.
“We are currently summarizing our demands,” he added.
He said the term of reference was not from MIAA but from a private agency.
The airport management is also set to prohibit passengers from putting bags or luggage on the four-seater gang-chair at the airport.
“We don’t have to penalize the passengers but we will strictly monitor it,” said Ines.
On Monday, Ines presided over two meetings with the pest control and housekeeping units at his office.
MIAA Head Executive Assistant Chris Noel Bendijo said earlier that General Manager Ines had ordered a review of the contracts to identify any lapses.
The food concessionaires were also reminded to maintain cleanliness and hygiene in their premises to avoid such incidents in the future.
A number of air travelers took to social media to complain about being bitten by bed bugs on the benches in the departure area of NAIA Terminal 2. A few days later, another incident was reported, where passengers spotted a rat in Terminal 3.
Bendijo said replacing the service provider, however, may not be a simple task since it requires a bidding process like other government procurements.
“We understand that requirements are being a government entity, so it’s not going to be as simple as is to change the service provider. What we can assure you is that by Monday, we will revisit our cleaning process. What might happen is that just for the sake of compliance, what is provided may be topical. We will look at their track record to see if there were any lapses and act on their commitment moving forward,” he said.
