Yasay says government should not renegotiate with Piatco

There is nothing the government should re-negotiate with Piatco after the Supreme Court ruled its contract was a testament to greed, MIA-NAIA Association of Service Operators chairman Perfecto Yasay Jr. said.

"Renegotiation has been the battle cry of Piatco and now the government is giving it on a silver platter in spite of a damning ruling from the Supreme Court," he said. "This is an insult to the High Court and trivializes its findings that crimes had been committed against the Filipino people."

"For the administration to enter into negotiations and an amicable settlement with Piatco after the High Court has ruled these contracts to be in violation of public policy and the law is, by itself, grossly anomalous and amounts to a sell-out of the government’s paramount interest," Yasay said.

Yasay pressed for an audit of Piatco’s books – instead of an out-of-court negotiation – to determine the "fair and just" amount that Piatco is entitled to.

"Why should the government negotiate for what is a fair and just reimbursement of costs for the construction of NAIA Terminal 3, when the only objective and sure way of determining how much was actually and directly spent for the project is through an audit of the books of Piatco?" he said.

Yasay stressed: "Experience has somberly taught us that negotiating with Piatco on the various agreements pertinent to the NAIA 3 project has consistently led to raw and disadvantageous deals for the government. So why should we negotiate again with a party whom the Senate blue ribbon committee, no less, had found to have the propensity of buying favors for juicy contracts."

Yasay also pointed out that in the face of the Supreme Court’s ruling, Piatco still insists that its contracts with the government are valid and enforceable.

"In fact, its president, Vic Cheng Yong, expresses the hope that negotiations would result in ‘a real settlement’ that would end the ‘mudslinging and destructive activities that have characterized the crackdown on Piatco for the last two years," he said.

Yasay said Piatco was, in effect, saying that the Supreme Court itself is part of the "mudslinging and destructive activities," against it.

"Negotiating with Piatco under the circumstances is not only futile but would be a serious step backward for the government and prejudicial to the people’s interest," Yasay said.

The cost of the NAIA 3 project has been a moving target over the years, fluctuating within a range of $350 million to $650 million. In March last year, the Commission on Audit created a team to look into Piatco’s books, but the company’s lawyers barred it.