MANILA, Philippines — The derelict Philippine Village Hotel poses a safety and security risk to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 (NAIA-2) and the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing, according to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).
In a June 20 letter to Pasay City Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano, MIAA officer-in-charge Bryan Andersen Co said the Philippine Village Hotel Inc. (PVHI) and other parties have been preventing the MIAA from securing the hotel.
The hotel was owned by PVHI, which reportedly owes P270 million to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
In March, MIAA and GSIS were reported to be in talks to settle the MIAA’s takeover of the hotel property.
Describing the structure as abandoned, Co said the hotel is “susceptible to trespassing, vandalism and other criminal activities…(including) the possibility of terrorist activities being planned or executed from within the structure.”
Originally envisioned in 1999 as a domestic hub, NAIA-2 can serve nine million passengers annually.
Co requested that the MIAA be allowed to secure the hotel not only from criminals, but also from natural and manmade disasters.
He cited two incidents when MIAA personnel and equipment sent to put out fires in the hotel were barred from entering, violating the Fire Code of the Philippines.
The first incident was on Nov. 20, 2021, when MIAA fire trucks were prevented from responding to basement fire at the hotel.
Last June 7, the MIAA fire brigade was only allowed entry 15 minutes after arriving at the hotel, but only when accompanied by airport security personnel.
Co also asked Rubiano to order a comprehensive structural assessment of the hotel to determine its level of risk for structural failure, collapse and damage that may warrant its demolition.
He noted that a magnitude 6.3 quake felt in Metro Manila last June 15 highlights the need to assess the hotel due to its proximity to NAIA-2 and aircraft movement areas.