Friday, May 16, 2008 Naia complex to be rehabilitated
THE Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) complex will soon undergo a massive facelift to prop up the image of Metro Manila, being the country’s showcase window, as a haven for tourism, trade and investment.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), together with the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and the Ayala Properties, will jointly undertake the physical improvement of the Naia complex to promote the country as a destination for leisure and business, according to MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando.
“This initiative is in support of the government’s thrust to give the premiere gateway to our country a world-class character,” Fernando said.
In a meeting held at the MMDA headquarters last Thursday, MIAA general manager Alfonso Cusi said the three participating agencies have come up with a unified design that will give identity to the whole airport area consistent with international standards.
“We will provide a welcoming atmosphere for visitors and a warm farewell for those leaving the country,” Cusi said.
Under the projected development plan, hundreds of squatter families occupying the six roads within the vicinity of the complex will initially be removed and relocated to vacant lots within the periphery of the complex where they can avail of the government’s socialized housing program.
The project will cover six roads, namely, MIA, Naia, Domestic, Airport, Tramo and Andrews which will all be cleared of eyesores and visual blights like tangled utility wires and other dilapidated buildings and other structures.
It also includes the construction of a bridge that would connect the complex areas to Quirino Avenue, repair and widening of uneven and narrow sidewalks, utility wires will be buried underground, and high-mast lamp posts will light up all sidewalks.
During the meeting, the MMDA presented to Cusi and representatives of Ayala Properties several perspectives of massive landscaping that will be undertaken on the center islands and other vacant sites, sidewalks with walls and billboards and see-through fences around the complex.
The MMDA is also a co-partner of the MIAA and the Pasay City Government in the “Kalyeng Maayos” project to ease traffic to and from the Naia complex a new traffic scheme wherein a 24-hour ban on cargo trucks, buses and tricycles will be enforced soon at Domestic Road and Andrews Avenue.
The proposed Naia development plan is an offshoot to an earlier directive of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the MMDA, MIAA and other relevant agencies to undertake physical improvements in the area and address other concerns of all stakeholders at the premier gateway. (Press release)
