Now we can look into that DOTC-MCIA deal

For our special presentation on our talk show on Straight from the Sky we are honored to have with us Mr. Herman Bolhaar, chairman of the National Task Force of Anti-Trafficking in the Netherlands which is the counterpart of our Inter-Agency Commission on Anti-Trafficking (IACAT) with Mrs. Corinne Dettmeijer-Vermueulen, Rapporteur for the National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence Against Children. Yes they are high-ranking officials of the judiciary in the Netherlands who came to Cebu to look into the trafficking of children here, notably in Cordova.

There is no doubt that cyberporn has become a global scourge where foreigners, many of whom come from the European Union (EU) which the Netherlands belongs and yes, it too has its share of pedophiles that take advantage of the material and moral poverty of our people. Our guests came to Cebu to see for themselves the folks at the receiving end of this global scourge.

Now they have seen things for themselves what’s happening here and have returned to the Netherlands. But before they went back they agreed to be on this show with me. So watch this very interesting talk about cyberporn and what we can do to help fight human trafficking especially against children. See them in SkyCable’s channel 61 at 8:00 tonight with replays on Wednesday and Saturday, on the same time slot, and replays on MyTV Channel 30. M-W-F.

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Just when we thought that our cries and questions about that P17.5 billion Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA)  deal hatched by the Department of Transportation & Communications (DOTC) would never be heard, suddenly we got that report saying that seven out of the nine congressmen here in Cebu have signed House Resolution No. 782 that directs the Congressional Committee on Transportation to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation, on the complaints of conflict of interest and questionable financial capacity and other possible violations on the qualifications and requirements against the highest financial bidder in the bidding of the MCIA project. What can I say — it’s about time!

Because Manila-based columnists, notably my fellow Philippine Star columnist Boo Chanco questioned this DOTC-PPP deal, wherein the highest bidder is the consortium of Megawide Construction Corp. and GMR Infrastructure Ltd. from India that went out of their way last Thursday to do a roadshow inviting the officials of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (CCCI) and the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce, Inc. (MCCI) to relay to the Cebuano business leaders that they are really interested in this project. Come now, why didn’t they do this before?

There are no laws that prohibit foreign companies interested in investing in the Philippines to introduce their companies to us in Cebu. But then, we know the reasons why the Megawide/GMR got this deal, which we cannot yet reveal.

I don’t know when a congressional hearing would be conducted on this matter. But I would like to ask my good friend, Rep. Raul del Mar, to ask pertinent questions such as “Why weren’t the present crop of MCIAA Board of Directors included in the planning for this new terminal? I’m sure that Rep. Gwen F. Garcia who was a hands-on member of  the MCIAA board when she was governor must also have questions to ask.

Perhaps the most important question that I want our Cebuano congressmen to ask DOTC officials is why wasn’t a second runway included in this public-private partnership package deal? In short, those temporary occupants holding the top management of  the DOTC are making sure that MCIAA follows the growth pattern of  the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), which today so badly needs a second runway.

I know that the officials of  CCCI and MCCI are asking the DOTC to fast track the resolution of the bidding of the MCIA airport deal because according to them, any delay will affect the Cebu economy. Well, let me inform you folks in the Cebu and Mandaue Chambers that if we are getting a new terminal without a second runway, what is happening in NAIA today will also happen to Cebu. All  Cebu and Mandaue Chamber officials have already traveled abroad so many times before and surely you must have noticed that most international airports have dual runway systems.

Finally let me state it here that the purpose of making MCIA an Authority is to make sure Cebuanos are part of the operations and future planning of our international airport. Yet when I was a director in MCIAA, I had often asked for a second runway, yet the DOTC never listened.

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