Come and see for yourself an airport Filipinos can be proud of

It is all done – finally a spanking, state-of the art airport for the Philippines. Except for finishing touches, NAIA 3 is ready to showcase the determination of Filipinos to move forward, to be in step with the times for the sake their country. The gleaming steel, glass and concrete NAIA 3 would stand comparison with any of Asia’s better airports whether Changi in Singapore or the new airport in Hongkong that the Chinese are so proud of. But the days when we say, kawawa naman ang Pilipino, kulelat na naman, are over. We have an airport equal to the best in Asia. The public is invited to its soft opening sometime in September. In the meantime, those who want a preview should get in touch with PIATCO vice-president, Moises Tolentino, Jr at 854-5764. He led a group of journalists to view it for themselves - the airport that almost nearly did not happen. The rumor was once being spread that works had stopped because of lack of funds. In fact, work has been going on 24 hours a day since Jeffrey Chen, the self-effacing 35 year old entrepreneur behind it promised finis in 30 months. (I have never met him) Congratulations are in order to Filipino entrepreneurship and all those workers who saw it through despite the obstacle put in their way.

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But with the announcement of presidential adviser, government Gloria Climaco-Tan that government is taking over, it seems. . . not yet. There is a saying in Pilipino which goes like this "iba ang nagsaing, iba ang kakain’.Government intervention will have catastrophic effects on the country. A government take-over means other people, using the shield of government intervention, will feast on the efforts of those who made it possible. The implications of government take-over at this juncture are incalculable. For locals, it just does not pay to be enterprising and for investors, there is no money to be made for investments. You just never know what will happen to the project. We’re miles away from a level playing field. The spoils go to the most powerful and most influential.

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I had planned to visit the site way before Ms. Gloria Climaco-Tan dropped the bombshell on the government takeover, because all I wanted to write about was the project itself. I was not concerned with the fracas between the two groups battling for the project. I do not have an iota of interest on who wins or loses in the project, provided it is done and done well in the public interest. My concern remains the project itself - the airport as airport - that will be a pride and joy for Filipinos especially OFWs who are the end-users of NAIA 3. The world-class airport is a welcome salve to their injured pride each time they leave the country to become the world’s modern day slaves.

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Each time I travel and return home either to NAIA 1 and 2, I get a sinking feeling that this country will never progress, not in a hundred years, to use Lucio Tan’s words. NAIA 1 and 2 are stark examples of that lack of political will. While other countries in Asia have gone ahead to build fine airports, as a showcase of progress, or at least to show they are doing the best they can we only had NAIA 1 and 2, hodge podge buildings of cottage industry type of an airport. Wouldn’t you feel bad when the only progress you see are half-wilting potted plants along decaying corridors as "improvements" since former President Fidel Ramos challenged Filipino Chinese taipans whom he called in an exuberant mood "Asia’s Emerging Dragons?" Well, as expected the taipans could not agree, they all wanted top billing which is not possible in a collective enterprise until Jeffrey Chen came along.

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NAIA 3 will have the conveniences and efficiencies of a state of the art terminal through the incorporation of the latest airport technology. It serves not only the needs of both travelers and airlines but Filipino traditions as well which were incorporated in the design "Families and friends who wish to greet and send off loves ones will now have access to the airport terminal itself instead of standing in the heat like cattle as in the present airport." Tolentino said. Families will be able to spend more time together with the departing member.

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In 1997, when the government awarded the BOT contract for NAIA 3 to Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc (PIATCO), it seemed an impossible dream. In a few weeks it will be a reality through a consortium of Philippine, German, Japanese and Singaporean companies, among them Philippine Airport and Ground Services Terminals Inc, People’s Air Cargo and Warehousing Co., Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide, SB Airport Investments and the Nissho Iwai Corporation. The general contractor is Takenaka Corporation which committed to see the building through.

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NAIA 3’s design and construction are of the highest level "befitting the new entryway to the Nation and the Nation’s gateway to the rest of the world." The main terminal building seen from the wide avenues of Nichols Airbase is a splendid sight on the horizon without squatters or dirty rivers in view. The terminal’s rooftop is "shaped like outstretch winds of birds in flight," to symbolise the country’s flight to progress. It is geographically just a stone’s throw from Fort Bonifacio and would complement the standards of planned development there.

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It seems strange that with all the good things about NAIA 3 all is being done to stop this airport from being a reality. Why? The government gains a US$500 million state of the art facility without any cost to the public treasury. In the first full year of operation alone, it is projected to nearly double its income. The project provides and will continue to provide thousands of jobs for Filipinos. Here are the facts about the airport at a glance. US$ 500-million facility, 13 million passengers annually, it is 1.1 kilometers from end to end, built on a 65 hectare site, with 210,000 square meters of shopping centers, 140 check in counters, 118 immigration counters, 40 customs counters, 9 moving walkways, 2,000 car covered car park and 1,200 car outdoor car park. It was designed by world class developers and architects Cheng & Benito Designs Co., architectural consultant Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Pacific I suggest you see it for yourself to lift up your heart that something really good is happening to our country.

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My e-mail address [email protected]