Solon raps soft opening of NAIA Terminal 3

A congressman assailed yesterday the government’s move allowing the soft opening of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on Dec. 15, saying there are still crucial issues to be resolved.

Rep. Sulficio Roco (Aksyon Demokratiko, Cam. Sur), a member of the House good government committee, said the committee which conducted an investigation into the Piatco (Philippine International Air Terminals Co.) contract, has yet to vote on two opposing reports.

It will be recalled that the committee has come up with two reports, one authored by Rep. Ruy Elias Lopez, committee chairman, and the other by several members led by Rep. Salacnib Baterina, senior vice chairman. The Lopez report upheld the Piatco contract while that of Baterina found the deal illegal and unconstitutional and full of onerous provisions.

Roco said pending the resolution of issues hounding the Terminal 3 project, President Arroyo should have exercised a hands off policy.

He said it is not only in the House of Representatives where the Piatco controversy has yet to be resolved but also in the Supreme Court, the Senate and Malacañang.

Some 20 labor unions have filed a case with the SC seeking to declare null and void the Piatco contract while three Senate committee led by the blue ribbon committee have conducted an investigation into the deal. Likewise, a seven-man Malacañang panel has been tasked by the President to review the contract.

Roco said the President’s order for a soft opening of the new airport pre-empted the decisions or recommendations of the SC, the Senate and House and the Malacañang panel.

He questioned the rush to open the new airport when the NAIA 1 and 2 could more than accommodate incoming and outgoing international passengers.

Several groups have already expressed their strong objection to the opening of the new airport because of numerous unresolved issues.

"We have to resolve whether the Amended and Restated Concession Agreement (ARCA) signed during President Estrada’s time is a legal contract considering that it superseded the original concession agreement in violation of the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law," the Scrap the Piatco Deal Coalition (Scrap) said.

Scrap added that also to be resolved is whether the three supplements to the ARCA are valid since they were not approved by the National Economic Development Authority-Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC), the highest body approving BOT contracts.

"Unless the two issues, among other issues, are resolved with finality and convincingly, the legality of the Piatco contract will always be in question," Scrap said as it also called for the prosecution of past and present government officials who have financially benefitted from the deal.

The Save Our Skies (SOS) movement has questioned the undue haste in opening Terminal 3, saying the new airport in itself will not bring in the tourists. "We might have a new airport but if the factors affecting tourism are not adequately addressed, tourists will not visit the country," SOS said.