Owners of cars burned in NAIA parking fire have reached out – MIAA

Owners of six of the 19 cars that burned in a recent fire at an outdoor parking lot at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have reached out to the Manila International Airport Authority.

According to an dzBB interview with MIAA spokesperson Attorney Chris Bendijo on Tuesday, the MIAA will not be answering for the private concessionaire regarding the April 22 incident at NAIA Terminal 3.

“Sinabi po ng ating general manager (Eric Ines) that they should be ready to answer questions because we will not answer for them… Sila po talaga ang makakapagsabi ng kanilang liability,” he said.

(Our general manager said that they should be ready to answer questions because we will not answer for them… They really are the ones who can say what their liabilities are.)

Bendijo said the car owners, wherever their locations, can approach MIAA which would then refer them to the private concessionaire.

The concessionaire has already submitted a letter to the MIAA general manager regarding their assumption of liability.

The company also assured that the parking’s initial disclaimer at the lot to “park at your own risk” will still be subject to public policy.

“Marami naman po tayong kaso na nagpapa walang bisa sa ganyang mga waiver,” said Bendijo.

(We have a lot of cases that can invalidate these kinds of waivers.)

Meanwhile, the pay parking has been closed until further notice as the concessionaire removes dry grass from the area. A fire truck is on standby to avoid further incidents.

The private concessionaire assured that they will be working on removing the accumulated dry grass and will cooperate with any investigation.

“They were intending na tambakan po yung area na ito ng magkahalong crushed rock at graba, kaya lang po nangyari na nga po itong unfortunate incident na ito,” he said.

(They were intending to cover the area with crushed rock and gravel, but this unfortunate incident occurred.)

Earlier, the airport management said that the blaze may have been caused by fast-spreading grass fire due to the intense heat and dry condition in the exposed parking lot.

The parking area is one of several where air travelers leave their vehicles on extended periods prior to their trips.

They are now working with the concessionaire to prevent future similar incidents from occurring.—Jiselle Anne Casucian/RF, GMA Integrated News