Corrupt airport workers made fortunes pocketing terminal fees

Kalibo_Airport,_Philippines
50-Million Pesos Missing from Kalibo Airport – 11 Fired – www.plnmedia.com

Eleven contractual workers and one employee are accused of scamming at least 50 million pesos in terminal fees from Kalibo International Airport.

Employee Josephine Repiedad is facing administrative proceedings over the missing airport fees. She will face proceedings at the CAAP’s hearing and adjudication board for her actions. Currently she is suspended for 90 days pending the results of the proceedings.

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The eleven contractual workers have all been fired. Eight of them designated as ticket collectors were terminated on May 16, the three remaining were laid off on May 18.

The CAAP audit team confirmed the scam involving the recycling of used terminal fee tickets. Those involved collected the discarded terminal fee tickets and reissued them to passengers while pocketing the money for their own gain.

So far in the first three month of this year along, at least 10 million pesos in collections is missing, but from October, 2015 a total of 50 million pesos is missing.

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Sources said that Kalibo Airport takes in an average of 2,000 passengers a day – meaning that collections average 1.5 million pesos a day (with the 750 peso terminal fee).

Investigators said they will review terminal fee collections starting in 2013 to find out if the scam had been ongoing over an extended period of time.

Those suspected in the terminal fee scam were all living extravagant lifestyles, many owning luxury vehicles and other betting large amounts in cockfights. That raised suspicions with other employees who notified the authorities.

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Kalibo Airport is one of two main airports servicing Boracay, one of the most visited islands in the Philippines.

Kalibo International Airport services international destinations such as Taipei, Seoul-Incheon, Busan, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

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