Airport 'transfer' undergoes study

CEBU, Philippines - With the controversy surrounding the suggestion to transfer the Cebu international airport from Lapu-Lapu City to Cordova town, an independent group has reportedly been hired to look into the possible implications of the move.

This was revealed yesterday by Cebu City South District Rep. Tomas Osmeña, the one who suggested for the transfer. Osmeña said earlier it would be a good idea to reclaim a portion of Cordova’s wide shores and covert the same as airport runway. He also suggested selling the property occupied by the airport at present.

“It’s being done independently. I cannot really give you the details because of the crab mentality of my enemies. Like if you try to go up they will pull you down,” Osmeña said.

He also refused to identify the proponent of the study.

The objective of the study, he said, is to determine whether or not a transfer would be advantageous or disadvantageous to the government.

Osmeña said many investors have approached him and expressed interest to buy the property including, among others, the Gokongwei group, Ayala Group, Filinvest, and business tycoon Manny Pangilinan.

He laughed at comments by some people, including radio commentators, that he is but after the commission if he could close a deal.

Osmeña pointed out that if the airport remains where it is, the government through the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) will be spending more in the coming years in paying the owners of the lots traversed by the airport runway.

He said about 70 percent of the airport’s properties are still not titled under MCIAA and the Commission on Audit (COA) has repeatedly mentioned the same in its yearly annual audit report of the airport’s operations.

Osmeña, who recommended Mactan Airport General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete to the position, said the construction and renovation of the airport’s administration building has been suspended because someone had claimed ownership of the land where it is situated.

The FREEMAN learned that several claims on the airport’s lots have been brought to court. In fact, some of them have already reached the Supreme Court for review.

Osmeña said that if MCIAA will choose to pay the private owners of the lots, the same would incur huge and it is possible that airport authorities will be prompted to raise the terminal fees from the existing P200 to about P600.

SM Prime Holdings Inc. President Hans T. Sy said “we are willing to discuss the terms of our possible participation in the disposition of the airport property.”

Sy said he understands that the current location of the airport is already proving to be too small because of the increasing number of air domestic and international passengers utilizing the airport and the plan to build a much bigger and modern airport is a right move.

Osmeña said proceeds of the sales of the property, if the MCIAA officials would agree to the proposal of SM, is already enough to fund for the construction of an airport that may only need to reclaim at least 100 hectares in Cordova.

According to Osmeña, the areas surrounding the airport cannot be used for high-rise buildings because the Air Transportation Office will never allow it.

Once the airport will be transferred to Cordova, a road can be constructed somewhere at the so-called “Shell Island” just across Cebu City Carbon Market and the people can be transported there through a Ro-ro boat.

Osmeña said the traffic problem in Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City can also be minimized.     - (THE FREEMAN)