SOS urges prosecution of persons behind anomalous NAIA-3 deal

The government should now prosecute the individuals behind the anomalous Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 contract after the Supreme Court issued its final ruling on the case.

"There is no more reason for the government not to prosecute those persons involved in the questionable deal, from the time of President Ramos, to President Estrada to President Arroyo," the Save Our Skies (SOS) movement said yesterday.

Robert Lim Joseph, SOS president, said the prosecution of these people would send a strong signal to the people, particularly public officials and investors, that graft and corruption would not be tolerated in the country.

Joseph welcomed the SC decision promulgated last Jan. 21, saying the government can now resolve issues hounding the terminal, such as the imposition of a higher travel tax, the establishment of a cargo warehouse and duty-free shop.

He strongly urged government to give representatives of the travel, tourism and cargo industries and safety advocates a voice in how to manage the new airport "to avoid future problems."

"The current Department of Tourism secretary should also play a vital rote in discussing the issue," he added.

Joseph said the government should now consider constructing a cargo terminal near the new airport facility. Under the plan Piatco, the cargo terminal would be located about two kilometers from NAIA 3.

He stressed that hearings should be conducted among various sectors as to the rate of the travel tax to be imposed on passengers once the new airport opens.

Under the contract signed by the government and Piatco, the travel tax was pegged at $20, which will result in passengers paying almost double the current rate.

Joseph said the duty-free shop to be established at Terminal 3 should be managed and run by the government and not a private entity like Piatco as contained in the contract. "The government should just make sure the duty-free shop would not disrupt the domestic market."

"The government should determine the real investments poured into the project and be fair in determining the compensation to be given to Piatco," he pointed out.

He said it should even consider tapping Fraport to run the new international airport in cooperation with the management of NAIA.

"In order for the negotiations not to drag on, the government and Fraport should talk, even allowing them (Fraport) to run the new airport," Joseph said.

He added: "At the moment we don’t need Terminal 3. Terminal 1 and 2 can handle traffic. So there is still time for the parties involved to talk.