Labor groups have urged Congress to investigate what they described as a possible breach in the privatization agreement covering Ninoy Aquino International Airport, citing concerns over accountability, labor protection, and national security.

In a joint statement, the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino and the National Confederation of Labor claimed the government failed to activate a mandatory independent consultant tasked with monitoring the concession agreement involving the airport.

In 2024, the Department of Transportation and the Manila International Airport Authority signed a multibillion-peso concession deal with New NAIA Infrastructure Corp, a consortium led by San Miguel Corp, to modernize the country’s primary international gateway.

“The Filipino people were promised modernization. What they are now seeing is the slow surrender of public accountability, labor protection, and national sovereignty,” the labor groups said.

The organizations urged lawmakers to determine whether excessive control over NAIA had been transferred to private interests and to assess the national security implications of the privatization framework.

They also called for the suspension or cancellation of provisions in the public-private partnership that they said were detrimental to the public.

According to the groups, the independent consultant mechanism was allegedly ignored because it was considered too costly.

“This is not a simple technical violation. This is a dangerous collapse of independent oversight in one of the country’s most critical national infrastructures,” the groups said.

The labor organizations also raised concerns about border protection, anti-smuggling operations, anti-trafficking enforcement, and emergency response capabilities at the airport amid rising geopolitical tensions.

“NAIA is not an ordinary business venture. It is the country’s primary international gateway, directly tied to national security,” they added.

Romeo Sauler, president of the PUSO ng NAIA industry group, separately claimed the concessionaire shifted the financial burden of modernization onto ordinary Filipinos through higher airport fees and travel costs.

“The privatization of NAIA was sold to Filipinos as the ‘golden ticket’ to modernization. But months into the deal, the public is now asking: modernization for whom?” Sauler said.

He also claimed rising rental rates inside airport terminals forced some small businesses to either close or scale down operations, resulting in job losses.

A coalition composed of consumer groups, commuter advocates, labor federations, migrant rights organizations, and policy experts has also begun coordinating with legal counsels for possible legal and political actions against the concession agreement.