OPINION BY DUCKY PAREDES: NAIA 3's TROUBLES CONTINUE
MANILA, JANUARY 4, 2011 (MALAYA) DUCKY PAREDES - ('Fraport-PIATCO owns NAIA-3 and will operate it according to the terms of the original BOT Contract until they have recovered all of their expenses.')
COMES now a news report that we have lost control over NAIA Terminal 3. The final decision of an Ad Hoc Committee in Washington overturned the earlier ICSID (International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, a World Bank Group) Tribunal's decision on the case of the Republic of the Philippines vs. Fraport-Piatco in its totality.
This means that, on his inauguration day, someone sold Pangulong P'Noy a cock-and-bull story about how the Republic's brilliant, overpriced, overcharging lawyers, including the newest member of our Supreme Court, won the case against Fraport-Piatco for the country.
I could never understand how we could be happy with winning that one.
What Gloria did – taking the property that was NAIA 3 from the owners-builders of the build-operate-transfer project – did not seem to me as something that the rest of us would have wanted to participate in. What was this really all about?
The way I heard it – from a recording of a meeting of Fraport investors – was that the then new president -- after Erap was unceremoniously (and illegally) removed by order of our Supreme Court -- wanted Fraport to give her whatever the other presidents (FVR and Erap) had previously received from Fraport.
When Fraport balked, she went after the project alleging all sorts of defects in the award, the construction, etc.
Thus did GMA take over the property from Fraport-Piatco.
So, even as when he took over, P'Noy announced that the overpaid lawyers had done well, this did not sit too well with me. In fact, to me, being ecstatic over our winning that case made the country, as guilty by seemingly partaking with full gusto of the fruits of GMA's greed.
Now comes word that the earlier decision by the ICSID was, after all, not the final decision. The final one was recently reached by the Ad Hoc Committee in Washington. This one is final and no appeals are possible. The Ad Hoc Committee ruled in favor of Fraport-Piatco, overturning the ICSID Tribunal's pro-RP decision. Apparently, there is nothing more we can do except to accept it as a done deal.
Fraport-PIATCO owns NAIA-3 and will operate it according to the terms of the original BOT Contract until they have recovered all of their expenses and, one supposes, whatever extra charges they will be making for the hell they had to go through because of GMA's greed. It has to be that. I never really saw why we wanted to take it over, instead of allowing Fraport-Piatco to operate the terminal since they had obviously prepared for the day that they could mange their creation.
This is another one of those GMA things that President Aquino should have left alone. Too bad that he got his fingers burnt again.
Hopefully, he will now turn over everything to Fraport-Piatco and charge them with running NAIA Terminal 3 as well as Fraport runs its airports in Germany. As for the lawyers hired by GMA who took us to the cleaners to the tune of $50 million so far, P'Noy is best advised to turn his back on all of them and cross to he other side of the street if he ever sees them coming our way, lest they have again devised another strategy to again take this country for another expensive ride.
***
Most Pinoys see 2011 as a year of blessings, prosperity, and wealth.
According to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, most of us (93%) say that they cross into 2011 with hope. This is an improvement from 2009's 89 % and just two points off the 95 % peak in December 2002. (January 2002 was the beginning of the second year of GMA's presidency and a lot of Pinoy's were still hopeful about that. The hope disappeared in 2004.)
Those who started the year fearful were only 7 %, down from last year's 11 %. Filipinos.
According to SWS, as a people, we are always hopeful at the start of each year. When the surveys began in 2000, we hit 87 %.
The lowest point of 81 % was in 2004, after which hopefulness rebounded to 85 % the following year, stayed flat at 91-92 % for the next three years and then fell to 89 % last year.
It is probably in the Pinoy DNA to be hopeful that tomorrow can always get better.
Meanwhile, in his New Year's message, P'Noy said:
"[Sa] darating na taon, umaasa tayo na mas bibilis ang ating pag-usad. Hindi pa tapos ang laban. Marami pa tayong dapat baguhin. Marami pa rin ang nagnanais na manatili ang katiwalian at maibalik tayo sa kadiliman. Kapag tayo ay sumuko, malalayo tayo sa liwanag na atin nang nasisilayan. Kaya dapat nating mas lalong paigtingin ang ating pakikiisa sa paggawa ng tama," he said.
"Kung patuloy tayong magkakaisa, magiging mas makabuluhan ang mga hakbang na magagawa natin upang sa wakas ay makamtan na natin ang ating mga pangarap.
"Nawa'y ipagpatuloy niyo ang inyong pagkalinga sa ating kapwa, ang inyong pagbabayanihan at ang inyong pakikiisa sa ating pagtahak ng tuwid na landas,."
The vice president Jejomar Binay's message was this: "Our challenge is to build today the foundations of a future where our people live in dignity, where government truly serves the interest of the people, where leaders serve with dedication to the public interest, guided by transparency and accountability."
***
Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson pleaded guilty to trafficking in illegal drugs before a Hong Kong court in a plea bargain effort. Although the congressman admits only to being a user rather than a pusher, the fact that he was caught at the airport with 26 grams of cocaine in his possession means that he imported the drugs into Hong Kong.
Thus, they have him down as someone trafficking in drugs.
A special hearing has been set for Jan. 26, 2011, by the Tsuen Wan Magistrates' Courts, after which Singson is expected to formally enter his plea.
Trafficking in dangerous drugs carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a maximum fine of HK$5,000,000.
Possession of dangerous drugs is punishable with a maximum imprisonment of seven years and a maximum fine of HK$1,000,000.
What do the Chinese think of us Pinoys now that they discover, all in one year, that we have drug dealers in Congress and nincompoops in our police forces.
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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