NAIA-3 opening to boost tourism, investments — GMA

LONDON — President Arroyo is confident that the opening of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) would increase tourist arrivals and investments in the country.

Speaking before British and other European business leaders at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel here during a forum on business process outsourcing (BPO), the President said the government is just waiting for the go signal of the team of international technical evaluators to open the facility.

"We’ve taken physical possession of the airport and when the international technical evaluators of the airport say that the airport is ready technically for operation, then we will proceed to open the airport," Mrs. Arroyo said.

"This airport will bring about more convenient travel and more convenient trade," she said.

Mrs. Arroyo arrived here on Wednesday on the final leg of her three-nation working visit to Europe. She had separate meetings with the Duke of York Prince Andrew and the Duke of Gloucester, Prince Albert.

The business forum was organized with Royal Dutch Shell.

She also met with members of the Filipino community and leaders of Amnesty International as well as business leaders from Shell, Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corp. and British American Tobacco, among other executives.

Mrs. Arroyo explained that the government’s moves to resolve the tug-of- war over NAIA-3 were legal and in the best interest of the public.

She reiterated that the government respects international law and contracts and assured business leaders that it will "compensate appropriate parties who did actual work in the construction of the project."

The main issue, she said, is that the terminal "has been held hostage for so long by a very questionable transaction entered into before my administration at the expense of the public good."

Meanwhile, the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. (Piatco) has acknowledged the P3.2-billion payment made by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) for the construction of NAIA-3 as a gesture of goodwill, which brightens prospects for the early settlement of the issue.

Moises Tolentino, corporate secretary and spokesman, said the Piatco management is confident that with the goodwill from both sides, the issue of just compensation will be settled to everyone’s satisfaction.

"We welcome the initial payment of the P3.2 billion as a gesture of goodwill on the part of the administration in settling with fairness and justice the issue of the expropriation of the NAIA-3 and the payment of just compensation," he said in a press statement.

Tolentino declared that Piatco is proud of having built, with the assistance of foreign partners, the state-of-the-art NAIA-3, which he said can compete with the most modern airports in the world.

He also said that Piatco is willing to continue negotiations with the Philippine government on the question of just compensation and the operation and ownership of NAIA-3 in the spirit of cooperation, fairness, justice and the interest of the Filipino people.

"The sooner we end this dispute, the better for our country," he asserted.

As this developed, the House committee on transportation urged the government to draw up stringent bidding measures to ensure a successful auction of NAIA-3 next year.

Reps. Monico Puentevella and Federico Sandoval, committee chair and vice chair, respectively, said the government should learn its lessons from the failed contract with Piatco.

The two congressmen were reacting to the announcement last Thursday of Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza that the government will bid out NAIA-3 by the end of the year. — With Rainier Allan Ronda