THE Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) has dismissed claims by Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) director general Charito Plaza that relocating the Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ) 1 to pave the way for the construction of the airport’s second runway would result in economic losses of P150 billion, saying it’s “unfounded.”
“I really don’t know what Plaza’s basis is in arriving at this figure,” MCIAA general manager Steve Dicdican said in an official statement Friday, Oct. 11, 2019. “What loss is she referring to when we are giving MEZ 1 locators up to 10 years to relocate, more than enough time and preparation to continue doing business with minimal disruption?”
“We are even proposing a new home for them, a ‘smart city,’ boasting state-of-the-art facilities that will in fact maximize production and reduce operational costs,” the airport official said further. “From our proposed relocation area, locators will have direct access to a proposed cargo terminal in the airport. Also, shared services infrastructure and renewable resources (solar power, rainwater harvesting, among many others) will be made available.”
“Maybe DG Plaza is just misinformed. There have been a few instances when her attention was called by the Department of Finance for citing wrong information and calculations,” Dicdican added.
“We shouldn’t be making unsubstantiated declarations as these are counterproductive. Losses, if any, should be properly measured and can be mitigated with proper coordination and planning. Unfortunately, we cannot do any of this because Peza has not shared the data we need to plan for relocation, despite their many public assurances that they will,” Dicdican said.
He urged Peza’s Plaza to “try to align with the developments that promote the common good.” Dicdican pointed out the MEZ 1 is located on land purchased by the government for the purpose of developing an airport.
“While we laud the efforts of Peza to develop the idle lands of the airport while the airport was still growing, the time has come for Peza to give back the land to allow the airport to grow more,” he said.
Earlier, MCIAA explained the transfer of MEZ 1 locators to the proposed reclaimed area “is actually a win-win solution” that will bolster economic activity even far beyond the economic zone and that the airport and its expansion is there to support the entire island of Cebu, including its business community.
Peza’s Plaza earlier said MCIAA’s plan has sent waves of jitters among the MEZ locators.
With this impending relocation, Peza feared for the 60,000 direct jobs generated by the locators.
The timeline for the second runway construction including reclamation spans over 7-10 years, and the process will be long-drawn giving MEZ locators more than enough time and preparation for the relocation and ensure minimal disruption. (CSL with PR)