Foreign Chambers appeals to GMA to resolve NAIA-3 issue

The Foreign Chambers of the Philippines is appealing anew to President Arroyo to resolve the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 issue to be able to attract much-needed foreign investments especially in the infrastructure sector.

In a letter dated June 17, the joint foreign chambers pointed out that the NAIA-3 has still not been opened despite government’s expropriation of the facility more than five months ago in December last year.

Expropriation, the joint foreign chambers stressed, "is both a drastic and internationally condemned measure."

The joint foreign chambers clarified that they had accepted the decision of the government which at that time were subject to three specific conditions.

These conditions were that the facility would be opened as soon as possible, that fair and just compensation of the investors would be expedited and that verdicts of the ongoing arbitration cases in Washington and Singapore would be accepted.

But the joint foreign chambers complained, the NAIA-3 issue remains unresolved, posing "the largest obstacle to attracting foreign investment capital to the Philippines – particularly in respect of much needed infrastructure projects."

The joint foreign chambers wrote the President that the NAIA-3 could be resolved swiftly "by taking decisive measures through all available commercial, legal and political means."

The joint foreign chambers believes that "if political will is present, an acceptable solution can be quickly found."

The government had expropriated the NAIA-3 from the Philippine International Airport Terminals Co. (PIATCO) following a long-running dispute about the cost of the new terminal constructed with the help of Fraport AG of Germany.

The government is accusing PIATCO of bloating the cost of the new airport facility.

The NAIA-3 is still not complete and government has recently convinced the Japanese contractor to finish the airport construction.

Foreign airline companies and even the nation’s flag carrier are hesitant to transfer to the new facility because of perceived shortcomings.