Palace: Raps vs Fraport, PIATCO step closer to NAIA-3 row closure
The looming anti-dummy charges to be filed against Philippine International Air Terminals Co., Inc. (PIATCO) and German transport company Fraport AG should help put closure to the long-drawn row involving the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.
Malacañang made this claim Saturday even as it rejected suggestions to close down NAIA-3 until all issues involving it are finally resolved.
“First of all, this is part of our efforts to put closure to this issue, which has spanned three administrations. While we want to settle our legal issues involving NAIA-3, we want to hold accountable those responsible for the mess," deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said on government-run dzRB radio.
The DOJ had recommended charges against PIATCO and Fraport for allegedly violating the anti-dummy law, or an Act to punish evasion of the laws on the nationalization of certain rights, franchises or privileges.
The two had an agreement with government to build NAIA-3, a “nationalized activity."
Rejecting suggestions that the NAIA-3 be shut down until all issues are resolved, Valte said the government already won an arbitration case against PIATCO in Singapore, while another case filed by Fraport against the government in Washington is still pending.
"If the case in Washington pushes through, the Philippine government is entitled to present its evidence debunking Fraport’s claim," Valte noted.
The third case pending before the Pasay court involves the government’s expropriation of Fraport for NAIA-3. “Pinag-uusapan na lang ang just compensation (The only thing being discussed here is just compensation)," she said.
“Hindi totoo na illegal ang possession ng gobyerno sa NAIA-3. We already discussed it this week. Ang tina-target ng DOTC is to open operations to widen yung area of operation sa NAIA-3 this year," Valte said.
(It is not true that the government’s possession of NAIA-3 is illegal. We already discussed it this week. In fact, the Department of Transportation and Communications is planning to widen NAIA-3's operations this year.)
Last Friday, the DOJ promulgated a resolution claiming corporate officers of Fraport and PIATCO are being made criminally answerable “for allowing FRAPORT to use Philippine corporations as fronts to conceal the extent of its actual investment of shareholdings in PIATCO."
Named as respondents were: Cheng Yong, Peter Henkel, Jason Cheng, Jefferson Cheng, Rita Bonifer, S. Samin Aydin, Lilia Cheng, Hachiman Yokoi, Gil Camacho, Katherine Arnaldo, Jörg Seyffart, Marife Opulencia, Mary Antoinette Manalo, Ricardo Castro, Hans Arthur Vogel, Dietrich Stiller, and Noemy Dacanay.
The DOJ resolution then ordered the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor, now the Office of the Prosecutor General, to file before the appropriate court a case against the respondents for violation of the Anti-Dummy Law. [See: Commonwealth Act No. 108] — LBG, GMANews.TV
Malacañang made this claim Saturday even as it rejected suggestions to close down NAIA-3 until all issues involving it are finally resolved.
“First of all, this is part of our efforts to put closure to this issue, which has spanned three administrations. While we want to settle our legal issues involving NAIA-3, we want to hold accountable those responsible for the mess," deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said on government-run dzRB radio.
The DOJ had recommended charges against PIATCO and Fraport for allegedly violating the anti-dummy law, or an Act to punish evasion of the laws on the nationalization of certain rights, franchises or privileges.
The two had an agreement with government to build NAIA-3, a “nationalized activity."
Rejecting suggestions that the NAIA-3 be shut down until all issues are resolved, Valte said the government already won an arbitration case against PIATCO in Singapore, while another case filed by Fraport against the government in Washington is still pending.
"If the case in Washington pushes through, the Philippine government is entitled to present its evidence debunking Fraport’s claim," Valte noted.
The third case pending before the Pasay court involves the government’s expropriation of Fraport for NAIA-3. “Pinag-uusapan na lang ang just compensation (The only thing being discussed here is just compensation)," she said.
“Hindi totoo na illegal ang possession ng gobyerno sa NAIA-3. We already discussed it this week. Ang tina-target ng DOTC is to open operations to widen yung area of operation sa NAIA-3 this year," Valte said.
(It is not true that the government’s possession of NAIA-3 is illegal. We already discussed it this week. In fact, the Department of Transportation and Communications is planning to widen NAIA-3's operations this year.)
Last Friday, the DOJ promulgated a resolution claiming corporate officers of Fraport and PIATCO are being made criminally answerable “for allowing FRAPORT to use Philippine corporations as fronts to conceal the extent of its actual investment of shareholdings in PIATCO."
Named as respondents were: Cheng Yong, Peter Henkel, Jason Cheng, Jefferson Cheng, Rita Bonifer, S. Samin Aydin, Lilia Cheng, Hachiman Yokoi, Gil Camacho, Katherine Arnaldo, Jörg Seyffart, Marife Opulencia, Mary Antoinette Manalo, Ricardo Castro, Hans Arthur Vogel, Dietrich Stiller, and Noemy Dacanay.
The DOJ resolution then ordered the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor, now the Office of the Prosecutor General, to file before the appropriate court a case against the respondents for violation of the Anti-Dummy Law. [See: Commonwealth Act No. 108] — LBG, GMANews.TV
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