House urged to probe snub of Pinoy designers’ NAIA plan

The House of Representatives should probe how the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) chose the redesign plan for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 (NAIA 1) and how the agency plans to fund the project, a party-list lawmaker said Wednesday.

 

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño said DOTC chief Manuel Roxas II should explain how he ended up disregarding the NAIA 1 redesign plan offered for free by world famous furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue, interior designer Budji Layug and architect Royal Pineda after the government contracted them to come up with the proposal.

 

“While we appreciate efforts of Secretary Roxas to finally do something about NAIA, he should clarify how the decisions were made… This definitely has to be looked into considering considering what is at stake here is one of the key transportation facilities of our country,” Casiño said in a statement Wednesday.

 

The lawmaker, who filed a House resolution early this month calling for an inquiry on NAIA 1, added that the House should invite the designers to the probe to shed light on the controversy.

 

Roxas earlier announced that the DOTC had awarded the contract to refurbish NAIA 1 to the Leandro V. Locsin & Associates (LVL) architecture firm, which is ran by the son of national artist Leandro Locsin — the airport’s original designer.

 

The DOTC chief said the department favored LVL because the architecture firm decided to prioritize the strengthening of the airport’s structural integrity. He added that the design offered by Cobonpue’s group focused more on NAIA 1’s aesthetics.

 

Cobonpue cried foul over the government’s decision to snub his group’s design and demanded that the DOTC explain how it came up with the decision on which firm to grant to contract.

 

Casiño, for his part, further said that Roxas should also explain where his department plans to get the budget for the NAIA 1 redesign project, which was supposedly not included in the ratified 2012 budget.

 

“We want to know who’s footing the bill. It’s not in the budget. Is a private entity paying for it?” he asked.

 

The House leadership has yet to calendar the probe, which will be conducted by the House committee on transportation. — RSJ, GMA News