Monday, January 05, 2009 Mercado: Terminal 2 Project and Reghis Romero II By Ram Mercado First Person
UNLESS politics gets in the way, a Kapampangan business icon, the contractor Reghis M. Romero II has the fair chance to get the award for the P4-billion Terminal 2 project at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA).
Romero's R-II Holdings is among the four firms vying to win a contract with the Clark International Airport Corporation (Ciac) for the development of the terminal within its March 2010 deadline.
R-II is one of the Top 2 contractors in the country. Known for its landmark reclamation project, infrastructures in Water, Power and Telecommunications, including real estate development (Manila Harbour Centre), Romero is considered the biggest landowner of Manila with over 79 hectares of property valued at P17 billion.
For these and other big-ticket housing and special projects done, he is more than qualified to undertake the Terminal 2 development at DMIA.
R-II-s bid offer, however, has been jeopardized by reports about Romero's political activities, principally, the rumor of his intent to run for Congress in Pampanga.
A veteran politician, acknowledged as very powerful with Malacañang, is said to be the builder's stumbling block on the way to getting the project award. He is threatened by the possibility of Romero's being his rival.
Already Romero has been intrigued against in Palace circles by linking him to the Presidential campaign as Sen. Manny Villar's as principal organizer and financier.
Romero had been placed in a similar circumstance some four years ago when he was in active circulation among Angeles City's social-civic-religious activities. Angeleños expected him -- but failed -- to enter the congressional contest after creating a genuine wave of public excitement about his putative candidacy. It was a big letdown for an expectant citizenry.
Having surfaced anew in public events, the talk was that this time he was going to get serous in his unspoken ambition. Reghis is now getting closer to his dream.
Intelligence groups of his latent rivals had monitored his movements and the principal party of interest (the powerful politician), reportedly disliked the clear and imminent threat to his fiefdom.
While Romero tried to keep a low profile during his regular visits to Pampanga, his chief lieutenant Rey Malig gets the work down, according to a supporter of the powerful politician. Malig has thus achieved no little attraction of his own, with his ability to summon local leaders when required.
Although Rey does not openly endorse his boss's veiled intent, his actions indicated that people's support to R-II was welcomed.
Officers of the Angeles Businessmen's Club, an organization of small traders, shopkeepers, and market vendors, agreed that Romero is the only possible bet who can match Rep. Carmelo Lazatin's value-for-money politics.
Romero can also make Mayor Francis Nepomuceno's reelection difficult if runs for city mayor, they said.
With Lazatin's real intent for a specific position a continuing puzzle, Romero's possible candidacy for either mayor or congressman is adding pressure to the incumbents.
If Lazatin can spend P60 million for his congressional seat, R-II, as Romero is known in the industry, can match that amount. If Nepomuceno can spend P40 million for the mayorship, R-II can do as easily. That makes the business icon a dangerous opponent.
Imagine if R-U Holdings can gamer that Ciac project worth P4 billion. His profits can easily make him a Congressman.
Romero's achievements and potentials for greatness are quite well known to Pampangos. Cited as the "Miracle Builder" in 1990, he achieved prominence for his work in the transformation of a 22-hectare, 20-storey high garbage dump known as the Smokey Mountain into a thriving habitat.
His many high-impact national projects had given him wide acclaim from the Crown Prince of Belgium, and the royalty from Luxembourg and Dutch countries. He had been lauded publicly by President Fidel and Mrs. Ming Ramos, Mayor Alfredo Lim, and the late Jaime Cardinal Sin.
When he backed out from the elections of 2004, Angeles residents were greatly sdisappointed. They saw in Romero a fresh and dynamic leader that could transform Angeles and Pampanga into spectacular progress and development.
Not being in politics, however, does not prevent him from engaging in his humanitarian work. He spends an undisclosed fortune for donations to nurseries, homes for the aged, orphanages, hospitals, schools, senior citizens, civic organizations, and other community building endeavors.
Clark sources revealed that for R-II to win the P4-billion DMIA contract, Romero has to categorically and unequivocally renounce, state disinterest, and demolish any intent for a political office. At this stage his firm is up against a political titan, all his track record, financial capability, and qualifications notwithstanding.
Will he run for Congress this time? His Man Friday, Rey Malig, presumably provides the clue. Actions speak louder than our speculations.
