THAT WORKS; INT'L DESIGNERS BEMOAN SNUB
[PHOTO - DOTC CHIEF MAR
ROXAS II]
MANILA,
NOVEMBER 28,
2011 (INQUIRER) By Paolo G. Montecillo - The country needs
an airport that works well and not one that just looks nice, the government said
on Friday, in a counter to a group of renowned designers who said months of work
they had poured into a proposal to redesign the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport (Naia) Terminal 1 had gone to waste.
World famous furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue, interior designer Budji
Layug and architect Royal Pineda said they were contracted by the government
earlier this year to come up with a new design for the three-decade-old Terminal
1.
But earlier this month, the Department of Transportation and Communications
(DOTC) announced it had given the contract to refurbish Naia 1 to architecture
firm Leandro V. Locsin & Associates (LVL), led by the son and namesake of
the late national artist Leandro Locsin.
"Layug, Pineda and Cobonpue have made available their inputs and interior
design suggestions for the aesthetic look and feel of Naia," Transportation
Secretary Manuel "Mar" Roxas II said.
The most significant part of the three designers' proposal was the
construction of a multilevel parking lot in front of the terminal building to
replace the airport's open parking area.
The space that is freed up would then be turned into a garden and visitor
area surrounded by restaurants and concession stands that would bring in higher
revenues for the government.
Higher priority
"The DOTC is grateful for their inputs but since their inputs are aesthetic,
we will take them into consideration after the more basic fundamental structural
and electromechanical works [have been done]," Roxas said in a text message.
Instead of adopting the proposal, made public by the three designers on video
streaming website YouTube.com last October, the DOTC said it had opted to go
with LVL, the firm that came up with the original design for Naia 1 some 30
years ago.
DOTC said LVL had a distinct advantage over any other architectural or
engineering firm in the country because its founder, the late Locsin, was
Terminal 1's original designer.
"LVL's firm has insights that will be of valuable help in minimizing
disruption to operations as well as shorten the time the rehab will take," Roxas
said.
He said the Layug, Pineda and Cobonpue proposal focused more on the
aesthetics of the facility and did not cover the electromechanical and other
technical aspects of the project. These technical areas of the terminal's
redevelopment, Roxas said, were higher on the DOTC's list of priorities than
making the airport look nice.
Pro bono work
In an interview, Cobonpue said his group's design was done in coordination
with airport engineers. "We also had the original blueprints and plans in front
of us when we were making this," he said.
"This Leandro Locsin now is not the same Leandro Locsin that designed the
airport 30 years ago," Cobonpue said, noting that his group's expertise should
be at par with, if not on a higher level than, LVL's.
He said the group felt slighted because they had agreed to work on a new
design for Naia 1 pro bono at the request of several Cabinet officials: Trade
Secretary Gregory Domingo, former Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim, Finance
Secretary Cesar Purisima and Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang.
He said his group's proposal would also cost the government just P1 billion.
Cobonpue, who has gained popularity for designing pieces of furniture for
several Hollywood celebrities, said his group's redevelopment plan could be
implemented in a year and would cover both the interior and exterior of Terminal
1.
This is better than the government's current plan to spend P1.16 billion just
for the airport's interior, he said.
What happened?
"All we want is transparency. What happened to our eight months of work? Why
did the government's mind suddenly change?" he asked. He said he also wanted the
government to clarify if there was a transparent bidding done before awarding
the contract to LVL.
"We're willing to let the project go. We just want to know what happened. We
already wasted eight months of our time and we don't want to waste any more of
it," he said.
"All we want is what the rest of the country wants: a nice airport," he said.
LTFRB chief files courtesy resignation By Paolo G.
Montecillo Philippine Daily Inquirer
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chair Nelson
Laluces has filed his "courtesy" resignation to give newly appointed
Transportation Secretary Manuel "Mar" Roxas II a free hand to appoint his own
team.
LTFRB Board Member Manuel Iway said Laluces turned in his resignation last
week, but the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said it
received the document only on Tuesday.
"The gesture of Mr. Laluces is proof that the current crop of presidential
appointees have nothing but pure service in mind. We can only admire his values
and his work ethic," Roxas said in a statement on Tuesday.
"It is worth noting that Mr. Laluces and all other heads of line agencies and
attached agencies—myself included—work at the pleasure of the President," he
added.
Laluces' resignation comes amid an ongoing review of the positions of DOTC
attached agency heads, who were either appointed or reappointed to their posts
at the recommendation of Roxas' predecessor, Jose "Ping" de Jesus.
Earlier, four DoTC undersecretaries brought in by De Jesus also quit their
posts after the latter resigned.
Performance evaluation
Roxas, a former senator and President Aquino's defeated running mate, earlier
said all agency heads would be evaluated based on their performance.
He said Laluces would "continue to head and manage the operations of the
LTFRB to ensure the continuous services of the agency" until his replacement is
found. "I thank (Laluces) for his graciousness," Roxas said.
Laluces could not be reached for comment.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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