He’s speaking up for the rest of us who are too tired of being disappointed.
“Samson Alcantara, 79, a passenger bound for China collapsed while on queue at the check-in counter of AirAsia at the old domestic airport or, as it is officially called, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 4,” reported Raoul Esperas on ABS-CBNnews.com back in May 23.
Now, with Alcantara back on his feet the airport and airline authorities concerned should get ready for what he’s going to dish out.
“Alcantara, a former senatorial candidate filed a PHP1.5-million damage suit against the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and Zest Airways Inc. after he hurt his head and elbow when he fainted due to the heat while queuing for his flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in May,” reports Jerome Aning in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
According to the Inquirer report, Alcantara accused MIAA and Zest Airways Inc. of “willful breach of contractual and statutory obligations, to provide for the protection, safety and convenience of plaintiff, an airline passenger and a senior citizen.”
In his six-page complaint, the lawyer described the check-in area as “hot, congested, was not provided with seats, and did not have any senior citizens’ express or priority lanes.”
Alcantara explained: “[I] therefore had no choice but to remain standing, for almost two hours, while waiting for the check-in counters of said defendant to open. [W]hile standing and waiting for the check-in counter to open, [I] lost consciousness, fell on the floor and sustained injuries in the head and left elbow.”
The report noted: “Alcantara was brought to the MIAA clinic and then to the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Pasay City. He was later confined at the Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City and discharged on May 26.”
The lawyer is asking MIAA and Zest Air to pay up for actual damages of not less than PHP200,000.00 saying he was subjected to “extreme physical pain, serious anxiety and humiliation.” He also claimed moral damages of PHP400,000; exemplary damages, PHP500,000; and attorney’s fees, PHP400,000.
In a phone interview with the Inquirer, Alcantara said, “This is a way teach airport and airline authorities a lesson about prioritizing the welfare of passengers, particularly the elderly.”
Screengrab of a publicity photo
