Roxas vows not to cave in to PIATCO’s demands

Incoming Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel Roxas III on Tuesday vowed not to cave in to the demands of Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. (PIATCO) for $846 million in compensation for building the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3). In an interview with Malacañang reporters after President Benigno Aquino III announced his appointment, Roxas said he would not allow the payment to exceed the just compensation in favor of PIATCO. “Ang alam ko dito sa NAIA 3 ay mahirap talaga na magbabayad tayo sa higit sa $350 million, dahil ‘yung turn key contract sa Takenaka na siyang gumawa at nagpanday at physically[ang] contractor dito -- the whole turn key contract is $350 million lang. So, bakit nagke-claim sila ng $800 million." “’Yan mga general principles na hindi ko papayagan na gagastos tayo, gagastos ang sambayanan whether through taxes or user’s fee nang higit dun sa dapat," he pointed out. Last month, a Pasay court pegged at $176 million (roughly P7.6 billion) the "just compensation" for PIATCO. The court said that the P3 billion the government had paid to PIATCO in 2006 will be deducted from the P7.6 billion. The court arrived at $176 million after taking into consideration that NAIA-3 "suffered from massive structural defects, the fact that construction thereof was never completed by defendant PIATCO, and the existence of evidence showing that funds were used by the defendant in irregularities that attended [the NAIA-3] contract." PIATCO brought the case to the Court of Appeals, saying the court decision was unacceptable and a pittance of what it should rightfully receive from the Philippine government. In the same press briefing, President Aquino said he wanted the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to come up with a detailed plan on how to finish the construction of NAIA 3 and correct its deficiencies. He said the DOTC should get consultants from the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines to assess the airport’s structural integrity. After the consultations and recommendations have been done, “there’ll be a bidding for who completes the construction and does the refurbishing, rehabilitation or repair works -- at which point, fully operational na iyong NAIA 3," the President said. -- VS, GMA News