RP to sue Takenaka over Naia3 construction flaws

The Philippine government on Wednesday said it is now preparing to level charges against Takenaka Corp., the Japanese firm that built mothballed airport NAIA Terminal 3 for its "shabby" construction of the facility. “They (Manila International Airport Authority) are preparing to level charges against Takenaka for the shabby job that they have done because of what had been found out to be defects, structural defects," Executive secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters during a press briefing. Ermita said if Takenaka is charged, it will no longer handle the repairs currently being made on NAIA 3, and that government would have to contract another group. Government officials met with Takenaka executives last April 30 to request the Japanese company to repair the defects on the airport. An assessment by consultants TCGI Engineers Co. and Ove Arup & Partners HK showed that the facility could only withstand an Intensity 4 quake and could collapse in the event of an Intensity 6 quake. Alfonso Cusi, MIAA general manager, said in a telephone interview that during their meeting with Takenaka last April 30, the Japanese company questioned the basis of the findings of TCGI and Ove Arup and asked for “more technical meetings." “We do not need more technical meetings because it will just delay the opening of the airport. What we need is the terminal," Cusi said. He said MIAA has referred the matter to the government’s legal team led by Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera for its study. Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza said last week that the repair of the airport’s defects would be covered by Takenaka’s warranty. He estimated the cost for repairs plus the two percent of the project left undone at over P100 million. Mendoza said the repairs would take another four to six months and the terminal would be reinspected afterwards. He said this will inevitably postpone the airport's opening to sometime next year instead of within the second half of 2007. He said government is not rushing the construction and repair of the airport because it wants “a very structurally safe and sound terminal. - GMANews.TV