"If you ask me, especially as governor of the province, which is the chosen venue for the 12th ASEAN summit, I would not want to change forces in midstream," she told reporters in her regular news conference yesterday afternoon.
She said she would present her stand on the matter at the next meeting of the MCIAA board, slated on the 10th this month.
The governor said she would rather that the Board look for possible remedial measures instead of replacing Adelberto Yap as airport general manager, after the Civil Service Commission rejected his renewed temporary appointment due to his lack for third level eligibility.
CSC commissioner Karina David said her office found out that Yap possessed no eligibility as required for his position and that he could only stay on as such if there is no other qualified person to replace him.
The MCIA Board appointed Yap as acting manager of MCIAA on February 2005, after which a resolution was passed re-appointing him last February 22. But then came the CSC junking of the reappointment prompting Governor Garcia to air her opinion over the matter.
"Crucial man god ni, where preparations are already underway for the hosting of the ASEAN Summit. And the international airport, the MCIA, is the entry point, a very crucial and vital piece of infrastructure that must be well prepared and expertly managed," she said.
Since it was Yap who already laid down the plans and improvements at the airport for the ASEAN Summit, the governor believed it is not prudent to appoint a new airport general manager at this time.
Among Yap's preparations are the installations of digital close circuit television or security cameras along the airport's security, peeping tom scanners, and other security equipment.
But Garcia's opinion clashed with that of Mayor Tomas Osmeña's who said he would not hesitate to recommend either South Reclamation Project manager Paul Villarete or MCIA public affairs division manager Ahmed Quizon to replace Yap in case either of them asks for his endorsement.
Osmeña said Quizon started with the city government and has been with MCIA for a long time so it would not be difficult for him to manage efficiently the airport facility.
However, Osmeña believed Yap's performance was better than his predecessor Angelo Verdan, saying he was not too confident of Verdan due to the latter's connection with tycoon Lucio Tan.
Osmeña is not also confident with the CSC either because no substantial number of government employees was actually fired for incompetence.
In a separate interview, Villarete said his application to MCIA is still pending with the Board and the CSC, and he commented that the CSC decision is important as it showed that whoever should be MCIA chief should uphold the law. - Cristina C. Birondo and Joeberth M. Ocao