Arroyo sets guidelines for NAIA-3 operations

President Arroyo has laid down the three policy guidelines for the government’s operation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 as soon as the state takes over its facilities and management from the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. (Piatco).

The President spelled out the guidelines while waiting for the Supreme Court to rule with finality on the nullification of the five government contracts with the Piatco consortium.

"The government will operate the NAIA Terminal 3 under three policy guidelines," she said in a statement released by the Palace yesterday.

"These guidelines will be followed in the road map for the opening and operation of the terminal once we have the green light from the High Court," the President said.

The first policy guideline covers the safety and security of all travelers and facilities against terrorism and "is of paramount concern," she said.

The second guideline, she said, is that the public must be fully taken into consideration in determining terminal fees and other charges.

The third guideline is to grant business concessions to third parties that "will be treated with utmost transparency and fairness."

In setting this three-point policy for the opening and operation of Terminal 3, the President reaffirmed her administration’s desire to restore the "institutional credibility" of the government before the international business community by ridding the Philippine bureaucracy of graft and corruption.

The SC, voting 10-4, declared the five Piatco contracts with the government null and void on the grounds that these deals were "flawed" from the beginning due to a number of legal and constitutional issues and grossly disadvantageous terms.

Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza, who heads the Cabinet committee preparing the government’s takeover of Terminal 3, earlier said the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) could open and start full operations of the new passenger terminal within four months of the takeover.

This is why the government would prefer that Piatco opt to negotiate with the government rather than contest the SC ruling on the case, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said.

"It would really speed up the process of normalization of NAIA 3 if there would really be a voluntary (turnover), although the other party has the option to file a motion for reconsideration," he said.

"What we’re saying is an ideal situation," he added. "But, if after considering everything they (Piatco) feel that it would be better to negotiate, I think that’s the best option," he added.

Bunye reiterated the President’s commitment to uphold the SC ruling on "just compensation" from the state to Piatco and its investor, Germany’s Fraport AG, for its takeover of the Terminal 3 facilities and operations.

Meanwhile, the President has decided to "let the ax fall where it may," insofar as dealing with officials of past administrations, including former President Fidel Ramos, whose names have been linked to the so-called "mother of all scams" Public Estates Authority (PEA)-Ital-Thai Amari Development Corp. deal voided with finality by the SC.

In a press statement, Mrs. Arroyo said she is "certain that all officials mentioned at one time or another by the media to have had something to do with this contract would welcome a thorough and conclusive probe."

However she did not mention media reports in which Ramos’ inclusion in the SC-recommended investigation into the PEA-Amari land deal was sought. The anomalies in the PEA-Amari case covered a number of irregularities in the bidding of government property along the Roxas Boulevard reclamation area in Pasay City.

"Let us pursue the cases to the end so that the innocent may be cleared and any culprits can be held to account for this," she said.

The President earlier vowed to "impose the most severe sanctions" against any officials proven to have engaged in anomalous transactions in the course of the PEA-Amari land deal.— Marichu Villanueva