NAIA-3 to prove critics wrong

Officials of the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. (Piatco) challenged yesterday critics of the scheduled Dec. 15 "soft opening" of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal III (NAIA-3) to make their own assessment of the facility and find out for themselves how misinformed they are about the project.

Piatco spokesman Moises Tolentino said old issues that have been raised against the new terminal are being rehashed to derail the opening.

"We believe that the inspection of NAIA-3 for the benefit of government officials and media was satisfactory in terms of the readiness of the facility to service the influx of Filipino overseas workers who will be coming home for the Christmas season," Tolentino said.

He added: "This is good news for all of us. Finally, we will have an airport which is at par with the world’s best... an airport we can be proud of."

Unlike NAIA Terminals I and II, families and friends welcoming or sending off relatives and friends will have access to the terminal building, where they will be able to relax at lobbies and coffee shops, shop in retail stores, or have send-off parties at restaurants.

The installation of the state-of-the-art security equipment will guarantee the safety of well-wishers, passengers and employees.

Tolentino said the two issues being resurrected against NAIA 3 – the supposed lack of a cargo-handling facility and an access road – had been laid to rest long ago.

Piatco has started work on a cargo-handling facility while the access road has long been in the pipeline, with its completion a certainty in time for the terminal’s opening, Tolentino explained.

Officials pointed out that the government stands to earn P710 million in guaranteed payments annually once the new terminal starts operating. The government has already received P300 million during the construction period.

The guaranteed annual payments will come from five to 10 percent of the airport’s gross revenue, including 36 percent of all terminal fee collections from outbound passengers. OFWs will be exempted from terminal fees.