Mangio vs Luciano vs Pelayo at Clark

Clark Field is so strategic that Pampanga officials are fighting tooth and nail over it. Tactically they are gunning for control of the government’s Clark Development Corp. (CDC) and Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC).

A bloc in the CIAC board is decrying the prolonged stay of political minions of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Allegedly chairman Nestor Mangio and two other midnight appointees are still lording it over, two months after President Noynoy Aquino’s administration took over.

Mangio reportedly still presided over the CIAC board meeting last August 31, defying Aquino’s order to midnight appointees to depart. With Mangio are fellow midnight appointees, directors Alexander Cauguiran, supposedly a campaigner for Arroyo’s presidential endorsee Gilbert Teodoro, and Romeo Dyoco, a school chum of Arroyo’s spouse Mike.

Mangio is concurrent chairman of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council, and so holds sway over the CDC. Cauguiran is also CIAC executive VP, and Dyoco operations VP. The CDC oversees the 4,400-hectare developed portion of Clark, of which 2,400 hectares is the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport under the CIAC.

Over 350 CIAC workers earlier asked Aquino to replace Mangio, Cauguiran and Dyoco for midnight dealing. The three allegedly had tried to railroad the award of the expansion and operation of Clark airport, first to a Kuwaiti and then to a Malaysian firm.

In mid-March Mangio, Dyoco, CIAC president Victor Jose Luciano and newly appointed director Rafael Angeles flew to Kuwait to meet with the Al-Kharafy Group. At that time Dyoco was opposing the Kuwaitis, along with Luciano and Angeles. Dyoco had led the study group that rejected Al-Kharafy’s unsolicited proposal for being unconstitutional and disadvantageous to the government.

As a result of Dyoco’s report, Arroyo had ordered the CIAC to cease all negotiations with the Kuwaitis. Soon afterwards Cauguiran and Dyoco were reported to be lobbying for a Malaysian firm to upgrade and manage the airport’s three terminals. Majority of the board, meantime, favored a consortium of local and Korean businessmen. Luciano was directed to negotiate with them the terms of the deal. The Malaysians and Koreans were said to be racing for the status of “original proponent,” which would relegate competitors to Swiss challengers.

Weeks after Aquino became President, Luciano was reported to be favored for promotion to CDC chief executive. The Commission on Audit recently reported that Benigno Ricafort as CDC president had earned P14.5 million in 2009, the second highest-paid government exec, next only to the Subic Freeport administrator. Ricafort disputed the COA as inaccurate.

Complicating the Clark situation is the fight between Candaba town mayor Jerry Pelayo and Luciano. The tiff has split the CDC and CIAC, and led to charges of malversation before the Ombudsman.

Pelayo had long been requesting Luciano for permission to lease two buildings in the Clark aviation complex for agricultural trade. Luciano allegedly delayed decision on it, only to demolish the two structures, along with 13 others, ostensibly to donate scrap materials to three Aeta tribes.

An official CIAC report noted that contractors had offered P33.5 million for the scrap materials. But Luciano on record has turned over to the Aetas only P344,750 in cash, plus 300 sacks of rice worth P450,000.

Mangio himself, with directors Angeles and Jesus Nicdao, had investigated the stink. He also referred the case to the Ombudsman, noting in the final report that Luciano had failed to account for P32,723,259.

Sued along with Luciano were CIAC managers Silverio Clemente and Ruel Angeles, and CDC officers Arnel Pineda and Tarcicius Tiotuyco. Blood relations, similar surnames, and past feuds didn’t matter anymore among the protagonists.

Pelayo is twitting Luciano in the media for reneging on commitments to help his demonstration farm inside the Clark airport zone. The municipality of Candaba began developing in 2008 10 hectares borrowed from the Technology and Livelihood Resource Centers, which in turn had leased it from private High Hedge Enterprises in 2001.

Aided by the Candaba municipality, the private Farm Fresh 25 Corp. transformed part of the land into a trading post for agricultural produce. A son of Pelayo heads Farm Fresh, so Luciano’s supporters are pointing to possible breach of anti-graft laws in the mayor favoring a kin’s business.

Pelayo maintains, though, that Luciano at first had supported the demo farm and trading hub. The latter supposedly had visited the zone with CDC, CIAC, Pampanga, regional and national officials. On Luciano’s promise to support the projects, Pelayo says, the Candaba municipal hall and Farm Fresh began clearing their respective lots and refurbishing two assigned buildings. Supposedly the two entities spent millions of pesos for the works; Farm Fresh also paid CIAC P1.3 million in advanced rentals and security deposit.

Things soured when Pelayo asked for two more buildings, but got nothing. He accused Luciano of using the Aetas as front for fraud. In turn Luciano and CIAC and CDC execs issued notices of construction violations by Farm Fresh. Agreements with the Candaba municipality and the private firm were scrapped when Luciano stated that the 10 hectares were within the no-building zone because very close to a runway. The same reason was used for the demolitions.

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“Many people are noticed, if at all, after they are gone.” Shafts of Light, Fr. Guido Arguelles, SJ

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