Exciting times ahead for MCIA?

No one could miss the big headlines from both local newspapers yesterday that two huge business conglomerates, namely Ayala Corp. and Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV), have signed a memorandum of agreement to form a 50-50 joint venture to bid and develop the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA). I’m a bit surprised why Philippine Airlines (PAL) or Metro Pacific Corp. didn’t sign this MOA. It was already out in the news that PAL was looking to build its own airport facility.

This is certainly a positive news for the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), which has been foot dragging on the supposedly Public-Private Partnership (PPP) programs. But while it is a welcome move… we would like to hear the nitty gritty details. One of them is whether this joint venture would include the construction of a parallel runway for MCIA. I say this because when I was a board member of MCIAA, I already asked for this more than 10 years ago. Having two runways would mean MCIA can have a great future ahead.

Why do we need to know those nitty gritty details? It is because certain people, especially Rep. Tomas Osmeña is selling the idea of constructing a new international airport in Cordova, a plan that has been adopted by Mayor Adelino Sitoy. While I believe that the private sector can do a better job in handling our international airport; it should be crystal clear that this joint venture won’t be “threatened” by the Philippine government itself if and when it gets serious in constructing another airport just a few kilometers south of MCIA. Having two airports in the same locality would be disastrous for any joint ventures that MCIA would enter into.

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It seems that the two major political contenders for the mayorship of Cebu City are in hot water due to their own political selfishness. Mayor Michael Rama’s purchase of cars for barangay officials shows that his favored barangay leaders are getting what we call a “political largesse” in exchange for their support in the coming 2013 elections. Let’s have some transparency here… after all, it is the taxpayer’s money that is used to buy those cars.

Why don’t we ask the citizenry in the respective barangays… do they need those vehicles for their supposed “public servants” to use; or do they want something else that they, the constituents in the barangays, can very well use like a garbage truck? If the constituents in their respective barangays want the cars for their leaders, then who are we to say that they are not entitled to these vehicles? I guess this will be decided in the coming 2013 polls. 

Meanwhile, the so-called “comeback kid,” Rep. Tomas Osmeña, is also in a bit of a bind himself when those so-called “donated” Chrysler Magnum Dodge Charger luxury cars, which I gathered was imported to Cebu by Bigfoot Entertainment chairman Michael Gleissner to be used in one of his movies, ended up in the garage of Rep. Tomas Osmeña. The last we heard about these vehicles was that these were supposedly “donated” to the City of Cebu… and then we simply forgot about them.

Then during the funeral of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo, someone photographed the vehicle as one of the vehicles that took part in the funeral entourage. I saw it in a government website, and I even asked our former managing editor Nimrod Quiñones to look at it there (no one yet published this report) but apparently the photo was pulled out. It has since resurfaced… and now it has caused a stir in Cebu City because Rep. Osmeña says that Mr. Gleissner had a change of heart and instead of donating it to Cebu City, it was bought by his sister Minnie Osmeña and the registration put under the name of her son Paolo Osmeña. Of course, this issue has now stirred a hornet’s nest.

The reason for the controversy stems from the conflicting stories, one from Councilor Margot Osmeña who said that these vehicles were “given” to her husband Tomas, which opens him into a potential investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman because Bigfoot Entertainment is one of the investors that purchased land at the South Road Properties (SRP). But Rep. Tomas tells a different story. Their contradicting stories tell us that there is something that they are keeping from us Cebuanos.

At this point, it is high time for the Osmeña couple to tell us what really is the story behind the issue. Perhaps, we should also get the side of Mr. Gleissner to know his real intention about those vehicles. If it was to donate it to Cebu City, why was it not donated? If it was to sell to the sibling of Rep. Tomas, why then were the police markings kept? Let’s hope that we can get those answers soonest, otherwise this will be a thorn on the side of Rep. Tomas Osmeña.

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