Lapu-Lapu City officials lobby for seat in airport board

CEBU — Lapu-Lapu City officials have been lobbying for a seat in the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) airportboard.

City Councilor Damian Gomez said the city council has passed several resolutions addressed to the Senate and Congress proposing to amend Republic Act No. 6958 so that members of the city council could have a seat in the airport authority board. Gomez stressed that because the airport is located in Lapu-Lapu, city officials must also have a seat in the board.

City attorney Vincent Joseph Lim said that had the city council been given a seat in the board, the controversy over the overdue taxes would not have reached this far.

The Lapu-Lapu City government served a warrant of levy Tuesday against the MCIAA demanding payment for its unpaid real property taxes amounting to P255 million.

The city government claims that the airport authority has unpaid real property taxes amounting to P255 million.

Former Congressman Efren Herrera said he had earlier filed a bill amending section 6 of the MCIAA charter, seeking to include the city mayor of Lapu-Lapu or his authorized representative and another representative from the the sixth district.

Section 6 of the charter of MCIAA provides that its corporate powers be exercised by and vested in a board composed of nine members — a chairman, a vice chairman and seven members.

The Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Secretary is the ex-officio chairman and the authority general manager is the vice chairman. Members include the Air Transportation Office assistant secretary and representatives of the Departments of Finance and Tourism, the Cebu governor and representatives of the private sector. — Freeman News Service