Efforts to link Lucio Tan to NAIA 3 an act of desperation, says Mison

"Lies, blatant lies." This was how the Lucio Tan Group described desperate efforts by lawyers of the Philippine International Air Terminal Co. (Piatco) to accuse taipan Luico C. Tan of pressuring Piatco’s owners to yield control of the air terminal.

"Mr. Lucio Tan categorically denies that he pressured, or even talked to the Cheng family to give up control of NAIA 3. These are blatant lies coming from an inveterate liar and our lawyers are currently studying proper legal action against Piatco and its counsel Francisco Chavez for peddling this disinformation," said Lt. Gen. Salvador M. Sison (ret.), president of Tan’s Basic Holdings Corp.

"Piatco has painted itself into a corner. And now that its skeletons and illegal machinations to make the Filipino people suffer from an overpriced and highly-anomalous airport contract have been exposed, it conveniently invokes Mr. Tan’s name, thinking that it will somehow deflect or stem the tide of negative publicity against it," he added.

Mison stressed that if Tan would have his way, he would rather stay at NAIA Terminal 2 where Philippine Airlines enjoys a seamless, integrated operation of its domestic and international flights. "Piatco could have NAIA 3 for itself, as Mr. Tan has repeatedly said; but no, Piatco will hear none of it because it wants PAL to locate in NAIA 3 to make its terminal financially viable. So who needs who? It’s obvious that Piatco and the Chengs need PAL and Mr. Tan more than the other way around," he added.

"Whether Mr. Tan was or is a crony of this or that president, or whether he has unresolved cases is beside the point. Let’s not deviate from the plain and simple issue that Piatco is facing multiple lawsuits for cheating government and the Filipino people with an overpriced and graft-ridden airport projects," Mison said.

The retired general also described as baseless Chavez’s allegations that PAL is using NAIA 2 to the exclusion of other airlines and that it is allegedly not paying a single centavo for use of the air facility. "A simple check with the records of Manila International Airport Authority will show that PAL is up to date in its rental payments. Other airlines, meanwhile, are free to transfer to NAIA 2 but they close to stay in the old domestic terminal because of the cheaper rental," he explained.

"This is not the first time that Piatco lied through its teeth. Just before linking Mr. Tan to this controversy hounding Piatco , its publicists used the name of Atty. Miguel Varela to criticize President Macapagal Arroyo’s decision declaring the NAIA 3 contract null and void. Of course, Atty. Varela denied this and told the President that his name was being used by vested interests out to benefit from the NAIA 3 contract. Piatco, its lawyers and spin doctors – and not Mr. Tan — are the ‘unseen hands’ behind this systematic smear campaign," Mison stressed.

Through his sweeping accusations, Chavez has virtually indicted five presidents of the Republic, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, the Office of the Solicitor General, the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel and the Office of the Special Presidential Adviser for Strategic projects. "Is this not indicative of a lawyer’s desperate act on behalf of his desparate client?" he asked.

The general concluded by saying that: "I marvel at the Supreme Court’s seeming indifference to the malicious tirades of Mr. Chavez against Mr. Tan. The Court, with all due respect, should not have allowed this travesty of justice against Mr. Tan’s person inside its hallowed halls," Mison stressed. But looking on the bright side, he said that should Mr. Tan sue for libel, he would have 15 justices of the Supreme Court as witnesses and no less than the Tribunal’s transcript as evidence of Chavez’s libelous remarks.