PAL decries anti-Tan smear campaign

Philippine Airlines (PAL) decried yesterday the false information being fed to the public by the group that won the contract to operate the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.

PAL was reacting to the series of paid advertisements appearing in some newspapers putting PAL and its chairman, Lucio Tan, in a bad light.

"The public is being fed with lies by parties who are poised to monopolize the operations of NAIA Terminal 3 to divert its attention from the real issues being raised against the controversial project," PAL said.

It said the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. (PIATCO), the developer and manager of the soon-to-be-opened Terminal 3, must answer charges that the government-PIATCO contract was tainted with anomalies instead of making false claims against PAL and Tan. The contract is now under investigation before a House of Representatives committee while cases have been filed before the Ombudsman and a Pampanga court against PIATCO and Transportation Secretary Pantaleon Alvarez.

On the group’s claim that "Tan monopolized the operations of NAIA 2 at no cost (and all profit) to him," PAL said the airline pays the government P55 million monthly for the use of the airport. The amount includes fees and charges for landing and takeoff, check-in, water and electricity, and rentals for land and office and building spaces.

PAL said it has no monopoly over Terminal 2 as it is open to other airline companies. No less than NAIA general manager Edgar Manda has admitted during a House good government committee hearing that local airlines such as Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines and Asian Spirit have been invited to transfer to Terminal 2 but they refused to do so.

Airport authorities also announced eight months ago that at least two foreign airlines have expressed their desire to move into Terminal 2 from NAIA 1 but they have not done so up to this time.

On the group’s claim that "his (Tan’s) consortium wants control of NAIA 3 as well," PAL said this is a blatant lie because as early as 1999, Asia’s Emerging Dragons Corp. (AEDC), the consortium to which Tan belonged, withdrew its case against the government, particularly the Department of Transportation and Communications, which signaled its withdrawal from the project. The other members of the consortium, which was established in 1994 on then President Ramos’ proddings, were Ambassador Alfonso Yuchengco, Henry Sy, Sr., John Gokongwei, Jr., Andrew Gotianun, Sr. and George Ty, Sr.

To another ad’s claim that "Tan’s consortium tried to hoodwink the government with a P135- million build-operate-transfer deal for NAIA 3," PAL said as stated by Antonio Henson, former president of AEDC, during a House hearing, "we are comparing apples and oranges" because AEDC’s bid then centered only on the terminal, thus its much lower bid, compared to PIATCO’S bid then centered only on the terminal, thus its much lower bid, compared to PIATCO’s bid, which covered the entire operation of the terminal complex, both inside and outside.

"So it is not Tan who is the alleged monopolist but PIATCO since it will have control over the entire operation of Terminal 3, including the leasing of commercial spaces and the areas for the airlines and other users of the terminal as well as ground handling, cargo, catering, shuttle services and the like," PAL said.