LAWYER Jesus Falcis defended the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) deal with San Miguel Group-led New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC), saying the contract was awarded through a competitive bidding process and not through negotiations “tailor-fit” for any party.
Falcis said he looked into the issue after reports surfaced comparing NNIC’s remittance of P57 billion to the government in just one year of operations to the Manila International Airport Authority’s P32-billion total remittance across three decades.
“So chineck ko din bakit gusto nila kasuhan sa ICI yung deal eh PPP naman eto, not necessarily an infrastructure project na itatayo,” he said, adding that he reviewed the claims and consulted lawyers and non-lawyers familiar with PPP rules and procurement law.
Falcis countered allegations that the P1.5-trillion NAIA PPP “bears hallmarks of corruption,” saying the terms were set by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the PPP Center, with the Asian Development Bank as an independent transaction adviser.
He said NNIC won because it offered the highest government revenue share at 82.16%, significantly higher than bids of 25% to 33% from other groups.
He also refuted assertions that little has changed in NAIA aside from new fees. According to him, NNIC has already invested in new chillers, substations and systems upgrades, refurbished terminal interiors, improved Wi-Fi access, streamlined immigration queues, modernized parking and created a centralized TNVS hub.
On adjustments to passenger service charges, Falcis noted that NAIA’s terminal fees had not changed for 25 years. The new rates, he said, merely align NAIA’s fees with international airports in Cebu, Clark, Davao and Bohol, and were reviewed with government and the ADB.
Falcis added that while San Miguel Corp. has faced other controversies, the NAIA PPP was “clearly awarded on the merits” given the wide gap in revenue-share bids.
“Busy na busy na ang ICI,” he said. “Wag na natin dagdagan eto ng trabaho na hindi naman angkop o nararapat. Let the ICI focus on flood control and other infrastructure anomalies.”
