Cebu is getting nothing from the Mactan deal?

SHOOTING STRAIGHT By Bobit S. Avila (The Philippine Star)

Last Friday, there was a public hearing on the proposed increase of the terminal fees of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), but I didn’t attend it because I felt that that public hearing was not really done to hear what the public has to say about the increase, but rather it was merely for compliance of the rules made by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). This is a brewing controversy happening in Cebu and Governor Hilario Davide, III is totally mum on this issue instead of fighting for what is right for Cebuanos!

This belies what Pres. Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III always say that his government is one of consultation. But when the DOTC has already made up its mind on this increase, for me that public hearing was nothing but a farce. Yes, during our time as a board member of MCIAA, we never increased our terminal fees higher than what the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) charges… more so that their facilities are far better than MCIAA’s.

What triggered my curiosity on their proposed increase is that it is for upgrading the airport’s facilities. What airport facilities are they talking about? Last April, the DOTC finally awarded the Mactan Cebu International Airport New Terminal Building to the GMR/Megawide consortium after they accepted their P14.4 billion bid. So we ask: why is there a need to increase terminal fees?

During an 888 News Weekly Forum, Megawide/GMR vice-president Andrew Harrison told us that their contract calls for the total operation of MCIAA, which includes the old or present airport terminal. So why is the MCIAA increasing their terminal fees? Mr. Harrison also added that the P14.4 billion was given to the DOTC, so they would still need a huge amount of money to construct the new terminal building. I certainly hope that the proposed increase of terminal fees will not be used to fund this new terminal because we expect that the GMR/Megawide consortium already has the money to construct the new airport terminal.

Mind you, Cebuanos are willing to pay more if they see anything new and if and when the Megawide/GMR consortium is done with the new terminal building and requests an increase in terminal fees, then that would be acceptable for us….but at this time, it is totally unacceptable!

MCIAA proposes to increase their terminal fees for domestic travel from the present P100 to P200 or even P500! For international travellers, MCIAA today charges P250, but they want to increase this from P500 to P750! This will make the MCIAA the most expensive airport to visit in the Philippines! What surprises me is that the Tourism Sector is totally mum about this increase. Perhaps they believe that since terminal fees are already embedded with the airline tickets, passengers won’t feel this increase.

But with the entry of the GMR/Megawide Consortium into Mactan Airport, the least that the MCIAA needs is to increase terminal fees simply because the DOTC got the P14.4 billion for the 25 years that they will be operating MCIA. So why is MCIAA increasing terminal rates when the GMR/Megawide consortium already paid the DOTC? Or are you thinking what I’m thinking… that the DOTC isn’t planning to give anything to MCIAA, which is why they are forced to increase their terminal fees?

Methinks that DOTC Secretary Joseph Abaya has a lot of explaining to do why they are pursuing these proposed increases? Perhaps Sec. Abaya should tell us how much of the P14.4 billion is going back to Mactan Airport? Or will he tell us the real truth that Mactan isn’t getting a single centavo from the deal that would lock the MCIA for the next 25 years?

In my book, this is the worst thing that the central government a.k.a Imperial Manila has done against Cebu. They lease the Mactan Airport for 25 years for P14.4 billion and we get nothing back for Cebu? It is for reasons such as these that I’m exhorting Cebuanos to consider following the path of Scotland who today will be voting to be independent from the United Kingdom or the Catalans wanting to be out of Spain.

In my book the MCIAA Board has totally failed to promote the interest of Cebuanos in at least retaining some of that money for our own use or at least return part of that money to be used for our airport facilities in Mactan. The reason why the MCIAA (and the Cebu Port Authority for that matter) was created by special law during the time of Sen. John “Sonny” Osmeña and Rep. Raul del Mar was to protect the interest of Cebuanos.

During our time in the MCIAA Board our meetings were always done in Cebu. But since the time of DOTC Sec. Abaya, MCIAA meetings are already being held in Manila. If you ask me, we’re back to square one with DOTC controlling everything. In short, we haven’t progress under Aquino!

* * *

Email: vsbobita@mozcom.com vsbobita@gmail.com.