Malacañang on NAIA-3 incident: No sabotage

The government has ruled out sabotage in Monday’s collapse of the ceiling in a large part of the arrivals section at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3).

However, the government will investigate whether Takenaka Corp., the Japanese firm that built of the facility, is liable for poor workmanship, or for any deliberate attempt to stop the test run.

Alfonso Cusi, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager, said initial investigation showed that a part of the ceiling collapsed accidentally because of faulty workmanship.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said that if found liable, Takenaka might suffer the consequences as it was also involved in light rail transit and airport construction projects in the country.

"We have to inform all stakeholders first about the incident," he said.

"We want to set everything straight, on record, so that all steps that will be taken by the government will have legal basis," Bunye said.

Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza said Takenaka would have to face an investigation.

Bunye said the DOTC would also look into the other projects of Takenaka in the Philippines to ensure that public safety would not be compromised.

"This is supposed to be a world-class facility," he said. "That (incident) put in question the ability of the contractor to (build) a very good facility."

Bunye said the terminal’s soft opening would not push through on March 31 as scheduled until the safety of the facility has been assured.

"At the end of the day, we still want to open the terminal but we have to make sure that it will pose no danger to the users," he said.

"That’s the bottom line and all the necessary steps will be taken (to achieve this)."

Bunye said the incident was a temporary setback and the government would try to immediately determine the actual status of the facility before any test run.

"Based on the report of general manager Cusi, there is no evidence whatsoever of sabotage and what’s apparent is the problem on workmanship," he said.

Meanwhile, the Pasay City regional trial court has ordered officials of the MIAA to withdraw the P3,002,125,000 from the Land Bank of the Philippines for the payment of just compensation to the Philippine International Air Terminals Inc. before the government can take full possession of NAIA 3.

After the MIAA has withdrawn the money from the time deposit account, the court ordered the LBP to release the amount to Piatco.

Acting presiding Judge Jesus Mupas issued the order to the MIAA general manager, senior assistant general manager and vice president of finance.

The government’s motion for reconsideration and second motion for reconsideration concerning the settlement of just compensation for Piatco was denied with finality by the Supreme Court.

"This effectively lifted the temporary restraining order which prevented the Pasay RTC-Branch 117 from directing the release of the amount deposited by MIAA in escrow with the LBP for the purpose of expropriation of the Ninoy Aquino International

Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3," Mupas said.

The SC affirmed the decision of slain Pasay City Judge Henrick Gingoyon ordering the government to pay an initial P3 billion to Piatco for expenses incurred in the construction of NAIA 3.

The SC tasked the Pasay RTC to determine the total just compensation that Piatco must be paid.

"It would be unfair for the government to take over the operation of the NAIA Terminal 3 without paying Piatco a single centavo," the SC said.

Meanwhile, airport sources said Takenaka may have jeopardized the investigation of the accident by allowing its maintenance crew to partially clean up the affected area.

However, Oscar Paras Jr., MIAA senior assistant general manager, said he does not think Takenaka’s clean-up of the 80-square-meter area had affected the investigation.

"Actually, they only cleaned some of the slabs," he said.

Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor said the collapse of NAIA-3’s ceiling could be considered a "blessing in disguise" since it happened before the test run and nobody was hurt.

"The actual opening may not be affected at all," he said. "But maybe it is better that this occurred while the inspection and evaluation of the facility is going on.

"Imagine the implications if the incident happened after the technical team finished the evaluation and the airport had already opened."

On the other hand, the Asia’s Emerging Dragon Co. (AEDC) called yesterday for a complete reassessment of structures and foundations, including the entire technical aspects of NAIA-3.

Perfecto Yasay, AEDC lead counsel, said tycoon Lucio Tan, Philippine Airlines chief executive officer and AEDC head, has expressed concerns over the stability of the technical and structural aspects of the terminal.

"The entire terminal, in its technical, engineering, structural aspect or viewpoint, should again be reassessed and reviewed by the government or those who should check on security or standards to make sure that it is safe to use," he said.

Yasay said the accident bolstered their concerns of possible defects in NAIA-3 that had been left unchecked in the government’s rush to open the terminal. — With reports from Rhodina Villanueva, Rainier Allan Ronda, Sandy Araneta