Compromise offered on Mactan runway

CEBU CITY — No resolution has yet been reached on the lifting of the restraining order for the repair of the deteriorated runway of the Mactan Cebu International Airport.

But Echelon Industries offered to withdraw all cases it filed against the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) only if the authority awards the company the contract to supply chemicals and supervise rejuvenation work on the runway.

Angelo Verdan, MCIAA general manager, said that since he was not privy to the transactions entered into by the board with Echelon before his appointment, he would have to present the matter to the board on Friday.

The board’s recommendation would then be stated in a resolution to be submitted to the court, he said.

Echelon made the compromise after two closed-door sessions with Regional Trial Court Judge Ireneo Gako the other day.

The court was due to deliberate on MCIAA’s petition for the lifting of the temporary restraining order it had issued to the authority, preventing it from undertaking repairs on the runway.

Echelon sought the restraining order after the MCIAA withdrew its commitment to award the runway repair contract it won in a bidding upon receiving alleged derogatory information about the company.

Echelon denied it has any derogatory record and sought court action to stop the MCIAA from either rebidding the project or undertaking the repairs by itself.

The MCIAA then asked the court to lift the restraining order to expedite the repairs. Its petition was to be deliberated on the other day but Echelon offered a compromise instead.

"I am challenging the MCIAA board to set personalities aside if they are really serious in repairing the runway," said Echelon manager Cris Saavedra.

In its offer, Echelon further proposed to slash project costs by as much as 50 percent.

Meanwhile, Verdan would have to explain to the MCIAA board why he has not worked on the runway repairs. The board gave him the go-signal to start the repairs last July 25.

But Verdan, in an earlier interview, said he has since readied the documents for the procurement of materials to be used in the runway’s repairs.

Needing only his signature, the procurement has been held in abeyance pending the court action on the MCIAA petition against the restraining order.

The Philippine Airlines (PAL) earlier threatened to cease its operations at the Mactan airport unless immediate repairs are undertaken on its vastly deteriorated runway.

The announcement sent shockwaves in the Cebu business community because of its potential to wreak havoc on the local economy.

Avelino Zapanta, PAL president and chief operating officer, said the airline operates 16 flights in and out of Mactan daily but even with this passenger traffic and cargo volume, the airline may be constrained to cease its Cebu operations unless the repairs are made.

He said the "advanced state of the runway’s deterioration poses a hazard to aircraft operations."

Built by the Americans more than 40 years ago, the 3,300 x 60 meter runway has been resurfaced at least thrice.

Verdan said the constant landing and take-off and air pressure generated by jet engines tend to thin out the asphalt surface. As a result of the thinning, the runway’s surface has become jagged.

PAL has complained about aircraft tires being lacerated due to the runway’s jagged surface.

The MCIAA board’s action on Echelon’s compromise offer would determine how soon the runway would be repaired. Until then, the authority will have to make do with vacuuming the runway of any loose debris.

Sucked into an aircraft’s engine turbines, loose debris can cause the plane to explode in its crucial stages of takeoff. — Freeman News Service