Noy’s second cousin to head Clark airport

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines– President Aquino’s second cousin, lawyer Egmidio “Dino” Tanjuatco Jr., looms as the next president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC).

A reliable source from the office of Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya told The STAR in a telephone interview that the President has named Tanjuatco to the CIAC board, in preparation for his election as CEO.

Tanjuatco was reportedly sworn in as member of the CIAC board on Saturday. CIAC, which runs the Clark International Airport, is a subsidiary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

A source, who asked not to be named for lack of authority to talk about the appointment, said the CIAC board is expected to meet anytime to elect Tanjuatco as replacement for Victor Jose Luciano, who has occupied the post since October 2006.

Luciano will be appointed as director of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the source said.

Tanjuatco is the son of former Rizal congressman Egmidio Sumulong-Tanjuatco, a first cousin of the late President Corazon Aquino on her mother’s side.

The younger Tanjuatco, a lawyer, was a former member of the Rizal provincial board.

The elder Tanjuatco was appointed head of a task force that took charge of official residences, guesthouses and other properties and assets belonging to the government after the ouster of former President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

Reservations

Alex Cauguiran, a former CIAC executive vice president and founder of the Move Clark Now Movement (MCNM) that pushed for the development of Clark airport here, expressed reservations on Tanjuatco’s appointment.

“Does he have the contacts in the aviation industry, the goodwill among airlines, the understanding of the ins and outs in the aviation world?” he asked.

“Running the Clark airport is a matter we have taken very seriously. On it we have rested our hopes for better lives and the future of our children. We cannot allow it to be taken for granted,” he added.

Cauguiran has lamented the failure of the Aquino administration to fully develop Clark as the country’s premier international gateway.

He also raised concern whether Tanjuatco could push for the development of Clark as the country’s premier international gateway within a timeframe and ensure corresponding funding.