Angara backs DOTC chief in terminal deal

Sen. Edgardo Angara said yesterday that Transportation and Communications Secretary Pantaleon Alvarez should not be held accountable for the so-called "11 onerous provisions" in the government contract with the Philippine International Aviation Transport Corp. (PIATCO) for the construction of Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

At the resumption of the confirmation hearing on Alvarez’s appointment by the CA committee on transportation and communications, Angara said critics of Alvarez could be barking up the wrong tree. He asked them to go instead to President Arroyo who might refuse to implement the PIATCO contract, just like she did to the garbage disposal contract with Jancom.

Rosemarie Herrera said that her group from Pampanga and Central Luzon are against Alvarez’s confirmation because the PIATCO contract would prevent the development of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.

It was explained that as long as Terminal 3 could not attain the 10-million passenger capacity, DMIA would be limited to only 850,000 passenger-capacity, and that it must pay for any quantity in excess of the capacity.

Alvarez, however, told the committee that upon his intercession, PIATCO president Vic Cheng Yong agreed in a formal letter dated April 4 to waive that questioned provision of the contract.

"That waiver was announced by President Arroyo last April 5 during her birthday celebration in Clark," he said, adding that this was widely reported by media.

Cebu Rep. Clavel Martinez, on the other hand, questioned if the waiver would be sufficient since there might be another school of thought on the need to renegotiate the contract.