Corruption wraps Piatco
concession
Time line shows it all
BY AMADO P. MACASAET
EVENTS and dates hardly leave any doubt that
the award of the NAIA Terminal 3 to Philippine International
Airport Terminals Corp. and its partner, Fraport, was attended
by corruption, deceit and bribery.
The award was, as declared by the Supreme
Court, illegal from the very beginning and therefore did not
exist.
Yet, Piatco filed a request for arbitration
with the International Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. Fraport
filed a similar request with the International Center for the
Settlement of Investment Disputes in Washington DC. Both of them
are seeking compensation in spite of the fact that the panel of
lawyers defending the Philippines has shown beyond doubt because
it is undisputed that the Philippines is a victim of what could
be considered criminal acts by the partners.
Prosecutor says there was no
pressure on dummy case
BY EVANGELINE DE VERA
THE Department of Justice yesterday denied
succumbing to pressure from Malacañang when it dismissed the
complaint for violations of the Anti-Dummy Law filed by the NBI
against the officials of the Philippine International Air
Terminals Corp. (Piatco) and its German partner, Fraport AG.
State Prosecutor Phillip dela Cruz also
denied that Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez had a hand in the
resolution dismissing dummying charges against members of the
Cheng family, nominal owners of Piatco, and their partners.
Piatco was awarded the contract to build
Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA-3).
The contract was eventually voided by the Supreme Court.
OPPOSITION leaders from Luzon, Visayas and
Mindanao gathered yesterday at the Club Filipino in San Juan and
expressed confidence of wresting power during the mid-term May
elections.
The gathering, the United Opposition’s first
national assembly, showed that the opposition is united in its
determination to end the "tyranny" of the administration and its
"unelected" president, said Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay.
"This is a day of unity for the opposition.
This is the day of the dawn of a new brand of leadership for our
long-suffering people," said Binay, who is also chairman of UNO.
