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Thursday, July 28, 2005
Espinoza: Yap’s P60-million offer not enough: PAF official
By Elias L. Espinoza
LAMENT. An official of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) complained about the statement of Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) General Manager Adelberto Yap regarding the lots inside Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base (MBEAB).
Yap, a retired air force general, said last week that MCIAA will give P60 million to PAF in exchange for the 30 hectares of air base lots.
The official, who asked not to be named, said it appears that PAF is the one squatting on its own lots. Entries in the History Book of PAF show that the air force owns 250 hectares of lots in Mactan.
The controversy started sometime last year when air force authorities refused to turn over to MCIAA some 30 hectares of lots, where the PAF hospital and quarters for military personnel are located.
PAF authorities held on to the 30 hectares since airport officials allegedly failed to comply with their agreement.
Under the Memorandum of Agreement that PAF, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Transportation and Communication signed, MCIAA is required to pay for the construction of the PAF hospital and quarters for the doctors and staff in another location within the air base.
According to the documents shown to me, it was sometime in early 1956 when the late president Ramon Magsaysay conceived the idea of building an airfield in the Visayas. The facility was intended for military and commercial operations and to serve as an alternate international airport.
Since the Lahug Airport then could no longer be improved, it was decided that the airfield be constructed in Mactan Island.
Although the late president did not live to see his project realized because he died in a plane crash on March 17, 1957, his successor, former vice president Carlos P. Garcia, approved the project.
The project was recommended by the Mactan Airfield Committee, which was composed of PAF, OCE-GHQ, US Air Force, Civil Aeronautics Administration (now MCIAA) and representatives of Adrian Wilson and Associates, the contractor.
The first phase of the project covered the development of PAF and MCIAA areas, or the acquisition of 1,067 hectares of lots.
The 767 hectares were allotted for the construction of the main runway.
Of the 1,067 hectares, 250 hectares were set aside for the installation of PAF facilities and for the jet fighter squadron. Only 50 hectares were allocated for the MCIAA facilities.
However, during the time of former president Ramos, the land area for PAF facilities was reduced to more than 153 hectares or, to be specific, 1,539,303 square meters.
The move was in relation to Ramos’ economic priorities or his intention to maximize land use for economic and social development.
Be that as it may, the air force at MBEAB is not against the development. The military officials fully support it. They are only asserting their right under the agreement, which the MCIAA failed to comply with.
The P60 million that Yap offered is no longer enough to build the air base hospital and other facilities in another location, an air force official said.
On the other hand, I don’t think the City of Lapu-Lapu will allow MCIAA to release that huge amount to PAF without first paying for the airport’s gargantuan tax dues.
The air force official does not want PAF to be treated as if it is squatting on its own land. The MCIAA was only accommodated by PAF to achieve the economic development plan that Ramos envisioned.
(July 28, 2005 issue)
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