‘Gov’t has money to pay for NAIA-3’

Malacañang gave assurances yesterday that the government has sufficient funds to pay the consortium that built the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3).

"We are prepared to pay just compensation and this is to be determined by an appraiser or an evaluator that is mutually acceptable to all parties," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye told reporters.

Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor emphasized that the government is now enjoying increased revenues due to the new taxes that were implemented recently and it had enough money to pay the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. (Piatco) as ordered by the Supreme Court (SC).

The Palace reactions came following the high court’s decision on Wednesday to junk with finality the government’s second motion seeking to reverse a Dec. 19, 2005 decision ordering the government to pay the consortium P3 billion before it could take over the operation of NAIA-3.

Piatco and its German partner, Fraport AG, are demanding $565 million and $465 million, respectively, from the government for NAIA-3, which was built under a deal made in 1998.

Trade Secretary Peter Favila, a member of the Palace policy body on the NAIA-3, said he is optimistic that the findings of the independent valuators would be respected by the consortium.

The independent valuator, he said, would have to be agreed upon by both sides to avoid future legal disputes.

"I doubt if the valuation would be questioned if all of us have agreed who would conduct it in the first place," Favila told reporters.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who heads the policy body, said the P3 billion has long been in escrow as proof that the government is ready and willing to pay the consortium.

Palace officials said one of the plans is to operate the facility soon in order to generate enough revenue to pay off the total compensation.

Another plan is to operate the facility for some time and bid it out to interested operators later, the proceeds of which would be used to pay for construction of the facility.

Piatco said yesterday it was pleased with the SC ruling.

"We trust that the government will abide in good faith with the Supreme Court directive and finally abandon any plan of railroading the opening of NAIA-3 without giving all the relevant parties what is legally due them," Cheng Yong of Piatco said.

He reiterated that Piatco had built a world-class international passenger terminal "that all Filipinos can be proud of."

"We continue to be dedicated to this goal and are amenable to an amicable settlement with the government. Hopefully, the SC ruling will inspire the government to open up to a productive and mutually beneficial cooperation with us," Yong added.

With NAIA-3’s opening, the local tourism industry is looking forward to better days.

The Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) and the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS) said more foreign travelers are expected to visit the country once the NAIA-3 starts operating.

"It’s about time for us to have a world-class facility that would enable the country to entice more foreign carriers and tourists to come," PTAA president Jose Clemente II said.

Although the impact would not be immediate, NAITAS president Robert Lim Joseph said the opening of NAIA-3 would definitely boost the country’s local tourism industry.

"We hope the government could showcase our culture at NAIA-3 to make it distinct from other airports around the world," he said. — Paolo Romero, Rainier Allan Ronda, Mayen Jaymalin