@ article above - :no: OMG...thats just depressing. PAL and lucio Tan is being spoiled to much. NAIA 3 is purely designed for INTERNATIONAL while T2 is really designed for just DOMESTIC and yet PAL gets what they want.

Great pics, docz. Some of the closest to the terminal we've seen.

It would be ridiculous for the government to modify T3 just for PAL. What if PAL's domestic operations grow? It'll just take away capacity from T3, not to mention cause a lot of headaches. If PAL really wants all its operations in one roof, it can build the frigging tunnel and make an inter-terminal monoral or even bus shuttle service for its exclusive use. Or better yet, why doesn't Lucio Tan buld his own terminal in clark with a high-speed rail connection to Manila? After all, if this country can build glitzy malls every few meters, a nice airport shouldn't be far off.

^:yes: I think it would be best for PAL to continue their domestic operations in T2 and have their international flights in T3. Lucio Tan can then build the tunnel to connect the two terminals. Additionally, since he almost controls RP's aviation industry, he should invest heavily in DMIA and Northrail.

Gov't to bid out P26-M contract to make NAIA 3 world-class


THE MANILA International Airport Authority is looking to hire the services of a property management company to ensure that the new Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is maintained like a five-star hotel or a classy mall with clean restrooms and spotless walls, a MIAA official said Wednesday.
With the property management firm taking charge of maintenance, the MIAA could then focus on the management of the airport's operations, "without being bothered by still having to clean toilets," said Judith Dolot, the MIAA public affairs office manager.

Dolot said the invitation to bid for the P26-million contract, which the MIAA recently published, was part of the preparations for the June 21 opening of NAIA 3 as announced by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

But she clarified that the bidding would take place only after the legal dispute over NAIA 3 is resolved.

"We're only getting prospective takers at the moment," Dolot said.

The government moved to expropriate the NAIA 3 in December 2004 even though its compensation dispute with the Philippine Air Terminals Co. (PIATCo) consortium that built the terminal has yet to be resolved.

The new terminal has been in mothballs since 2003 when the President revoked PIATCo's build-operate-transfer contract with the government on grounds that certain terms were illegally renegotiated by jailed ex-President Joseph Estrada, who was ousted for corruption in 2002.

The Supreme Court eventually handed down a decision voiding all contracts awarded to PIATCo.

Dolot said that the hiring of a property management consultant was part of MIAA's efforts to run the NAIA 3 professionally and make the terminal comparable to other high-end establishments in the country.

The property management consultant would handle "packaged services" such as setting up building policies and handling the facility's upkeep, janitorial services and zoning, among others.

The NAIA 3 has been heralded as a world-class international airport that would help boost the economy once it is opened.

It will replace the NAIA 1, the main gateway to the country, which is showing its age. NAIA was opened in the early 1980s.

-Nikko Dizon

Its good that they are proposing such plan. Maintenence will be much better off than T1

good news! is terminal 2 being maintained good?

good news! is terminal 2 being maintained good?

Yes it is. Since the government already learned their mistakes and carelessness on handling Terminal 1..they are now making sure that terminal 2 will not suffer the same fate at the hands of government. I heard this on the interview of the current Manila International Airport Authority Director.

It shoulld. I heard though it is more modern it does have some maintenance problems, eg the air-con etc.

Yeah, although T2 is doing much better than T1...it is still lacking in maintenance. They can still improve a lot.

You've been there haven't you greyx? how about elaborating. cheers :)

What? Alright...the toilets are not as good as they used to be, deteriorating faster than i'd expect. While the aircons in the terminal dont work as effectively as before; it gets really hot in that terminal sometimes. While there have been numerous electrical glitches over the years, once when i was there. But its not that bad, but not also as good as the international standards.

If anyone interested, here is a discussion about NAIA 3 and its hangar that said it was sold to LH aka Lufthansa.

http://www.airliners.net/discussions/general_aviation/read.main/1938127/

Cheers

If anyone interested, here is a discussion about NAIA 3 and its hangar that said it was sold to LH aka Lufthansa.

http://www.airliners.net/discussions/general_aviation/read.main/1938127/

Cheers

T2 is much better when I saw it last December than last summer... the toilets for one thing don't stink anymore. the system is still the same, which is why I was stopped and had a nice and good "conversation" with an immigration lady (this is the worse part). hmm what else? the main led screen is working!!!! (they were busted last time, have to use white boards instead...)

one funny thing about "how well maintained" Naia 2 is when i was flying back to SF almost 2 years ago. i thought the janitorial staff was doing a good job as they were visible everywhere. when i used the restroom, a staff member even turned on the water for me and handed me a paper towel. so sabi ko sa sarili ko, oh! great, what a service! yun pala hihingi lang ng tip :bash:

Here are the pictures I was able to take last Thursday, when I arrived from an out of town consulting trip. The first picture is that of the north concourse in front of runway 13-31. The taxiway on the NAIA3 side is Foxtrot, which I believe was the runway recently opened.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/docz/DSCN1689.jpg
This is a close-up of one of the gates along the south concourse. Note that the areas with the green facade on the first floor are the passenger waiting lounges for the remote gates.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/docz/DSCN1693.jpg
This is another close-up picture of the gates along the south concourse.
Notice that you can see through the windows in the sloping ramp the windows on the other side of the course. This concourse seems to me somewhat narrow, like the satellite of Narita Terminal 2.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/docz/DSCN1694.jpg
This picture shows the junction between the north and south concourse. this is gate 116 which I previously mentioned does not have a ramp going down from the third floor unlike the other contact gates. Notice that part of the area under the head house are still unfinished and covered with a tarp. Each gate including seems to have a set of steel beside the fixed part of the loading bridge.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/docz/DSCN1692.jpg
This is the picture of the south concourse. Picture is a bit out of focus because the breaks of the plane were being applied.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/docz/DSCN1691.jpg

Thank you docz. I don't think current pictures of the NAIA 3 can get better than this! ;)

one funny thing about "how well maintained" Naia 2 is when i was flying back to SF almost 2 years ago. i thought the janitorial staff was doing a good job as they were visible everywhere. when i used the restroom, a staff member even turned on the water for me and handed me a paper towel. so sabi ko sa sarili ko, oh! great, what a service! yun pala hihingi lang ng tip :bash:

Yeah...they did the same for me. It really surprised me since im not used to it at all.

wow...!! sweet! nice pictures, docz!! now I think I get how the ramp you were talking about works. it looks like the ramp blocks out any views of the planes from the waiting lounges though.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/docz/DSCN1691.jpg

could those windows in this pic above the green windows be an outdoor viewing deck? that would be cool...

great to know that the MIAA will be hiring people to maintain the terminal. but, like the article says, I believe they're gonna have to get things settled with Piatco/Fraport first in order to avoid further controversies.

one funny thing about "how well maintained" Naia 2 is when i was flying back to SF almost 2 years ago. i thought the janitorial staff was doing a good job as they were visible everywhere. when i used the restroom, a staff member even turned on the water for me and handed me a paper towel. so sabi ko sa sarili ko, oh! great, what a service! yun pala hihingi lang ng tip :bash:

You have never seen restroom attendants in San Francisco? They are the norm here in Vegas and also in Germany, a small change will do or better yet 1 denomination of local currency, sometimes they have mints, spray cologne......how suprising to hear your experiences especially someone coming from San Francisco. You will more likely see restroom attendants in clubs and restaurants and as far as airport restrooms handing out a few coins or 1 bill is not out of line especially with the service you mentioned.

Jon

wow...!! sweet! nice pictures, docz!! now I think I get how the ramp you were talking about works. it looks like the ramp blocks out any views of the planes from the waiting lounges though.

That might be true. However, let me point out that how much of the plane you can see depends on the type of the ramp. The ones facing 13-31 as shown in the earlier pictures I posted consist of a single ramp going downwards. Beneath is an earlier picture I took in December 2002 of the ramps facing Sales/Andrews avenue (sorry it is a bit blurred because I was riding in a car which was moving fast at the time). This type of ramp is half as long, but twice as wide because it is made up of two sloping parts.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/docz/DSCN0049.jpg


could those windows in this pic above the green windows be an outdoor viewing deck? that would be cool...
There are actually four sets of windows, the two rightmost of which are shown in the picture you are referring to. Based on the plans of the fourth floor, the first two on the left are in the airline lounges. The next to the right seems to be in an area for food outlets or restaurants in the depature lounge. The rightmost window is in the duty-free shopping mall. None of them seem to be accessible to the public.

You have never seen restroom attendants in San Francisco? They are the norm here in Vegas and also in Germany, a small change will do or better yet 1 denomination of local currency, sometimes they have mints, spray cologne......how suprising to hear your experiences especially someone coming from San Francisco. You will more likely see restroom attendants in clubs and restaurants and as far as airport restrooms handing out a few coins or 1 bill is not out of line especially with the service you mentioned.

Jon

no i haven't. i guess i have to go out more often lol! i don't travel a lot you know he he! but thanks for the heads up, next time i wouldn't be "surprised".

See, a bathroom attendant did that to me in NAIA 1 a few years ago. But I think they were very preferential-- they only wanted foreign money. The guy turned the faucet on for me and offered me a paper towel. And then he smiled at me and said, "Yen? Yen?" I guess because I looked Japanese to him for some reason. And when I reached into my pocket and got out a folded twenty peso bill that I needed to get rid of anyway and said, "Wala akong yen. o eto bente pesos." He just said, "Ay... wag na lang."

Huh?????!?!?! You give someone a tip and they don't accept it even if they ask for it in the first place??!?!

Don't they have urinals, toilets and faucets that are motioned sensored to turn on or off? Restroom attendants can get annoying sometimes, especially if they're too eager to serve you when you can help yourself just fine. What's next? Assistance to zip up your fly after you're done taking a leak?

perhaps they'll be more satisfied with a 1 dollar bill than a 100-peso bill, when in fact the 100 peso bill is twice the value of the dollar bill:D

Don't they have urinals, toilets and faucets that are motioned sensored to turn on or off? Restroom attendants can get annoying sometimes, especially if they're too eager to serve you when you can help yourself just fine. What's next? Assistance to zip up your fly after you're done taking a leak?

my point exactly. i would want to have my privacy at times like such, though im not saying that those attendants should go out when i use the restroom. it's just... overkill, sometimes.

T2 has automatic faucets and urinals. The bathroom attendants serve you by giving you paper towels. But they didnt ask for money from me:)

T2 has automatic faucets and urinals. The bathroom attendants serve you by giving you paper towels. But they didnt ask for money from me:)

Thats true greyx. Another fact is attendants in t2 only provide paper towels to foreign nationals. WTF. I hope there is a customer service area where you can raise your concerns about the attitude of airport staff.

But im not a foreign national:D I am 100% Filipino.

lucky for you :)

Geez I come back from near-isolation in Northern Idaho and terminal 3 still isn't open.... :mad2:

Um can someone please update me on the gov't/PIATCo tango? :)

Geez I come back from near-isolation in Northern Idaho and terminal 3 still isn't open.... :mad2:

Um can someone please update me on the gov't/PIATCo tango? :)

government finally expropriates t3. piatco is screaming like a woman who just lost her purse. Most people around this woman hate her guts and try to ignore her.

government is also finally fast-tracking the opening on june 21. airlines are screaming like fishwives over technicalities, such as actual contracts, and having to cram construction timetables of their offices in T3.

and an article to top it off :D

Airline operator insist on NAIA 3 lease contract

By RECTO MERCENE
TODAY Reporter


The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) on Friday failed to give the Airline Operators Council (AOC) the lease contract it had promised to deliver on February 4 as a government’s guarantee that the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA 3) would open on June 21.

However, the AOC could not give comments because of the gag order issued to them by their superiors, the Bureau of Airline Representatives (BAR).

BAR chairman Felix Curz told the media that they are willing to cooperate with the MIAA. “We want maximum flexibility for the benefit of everybody,” he said, adding that they still have enough time to meet the deadline to transfer even if the lease contract would be issued later.

On the other hand, the Operational Readiness for Airport Terminal Transfer placed the burden of transfer on the AOC’s shoulders, confident that the lease contract would not be a hindrance to a successful operations of NAIA 3 four months from now.

“We just have to request the airlines [AOC] to speed up the process of approval of their transfer from their parent companies because general manager Alfonso Cusi had dialogued with their bosses, who have expressed full support of the airport management,” according to Judith Dolot, manager of the Public Affairs Office and top executives.

The “bosses” Dolot refers to are the BAR, which oversees the commercial aspects of the air carriers operations, as opposed to the AOC, which manages the operational aspects of the airlines.

The AOC has been vocal about having the lease contract signed before they commit their airlines to transfer to NAIA 3, saying that they would not like to compromise their respective carriers spending a total of $500 million to furnish the new airline counters, offices and computer connections.

The members, who are all holding offices at the airport, said that without a documented commitment from the government, they are afraid that they would be holding an empty bag if the PIATCO won its legal battle against the government.

The AOC requires a maximum six months to undertake the construction of their respective offices, the training of personnel, ground handlers and service providers to meet the international standards of airline operations.

The MIAA is attempting to speed up the transfer to NAIA 3 to meet the June 21 deadline issued by President Arroyo.

In this regard, the government agencies have opted to go ahead and attempt to put the NAIA 3 back into operations by trying to hold talks with Takenaka, the Japanese partner of the Philippine International Airline Terminal Co. (PIATCO), lead consortium that built the $500 million world-class terminal. Takenaka holds the layout plans for the building, including equipment and machineries that would operate the passenger tubes.Piatco allegedly owes Takenaka some $80 million, which the former said is part of the payment that they are asking for taking over NAIA 3, including the claims of its German partner, Fraport AG.

One of the major projects that the AOC wanted done immediately if the transfer is to be realized is for the MIAA to undertake as soon as possible is the construction of the service road that would link NAIA 3 to NAIA 1.

This service road would accommodate the estimated 50 tons of cargo what would be unloaded daily and brought to their respective bonded warehouses, freight forwarders and brokers by all 29 airlines to NAIA 1 once the NAIA 3 is in full swing.

BLAH BLAH BLAH just open the NAIA 3!

Yeah I wish it was that easy.... :yes: Now I will promise myself not to read any NAIA3 news unless it is regarding any concrete enws about opening dates, finalisations of some kind, not political mumbo-jumbo.

Whew! when will this waiting end?

sleeping in airports? (http://www.sleepinginairports.net)

Megaworld announces P7-B mixed-use project near NAIA-3

PROPERTY developer Megaworld Corp said it will embark on a mixed-use project worth seven billion pesos near Terminal Three of Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

"The project, known as the Newport City, will have airport hotel and retail and commercial operations," the company told the stock exchange.



"The company, however, has yet to finalize income projections on the project."

Megaworld gave no other details.

The airport's Terminal Three was built by a consortium that includes Germany's Fraport AG and Filipino investors.

Major building work at the terminal was completed in 2002, but it has yet to open owing to a dispute between the government and the consortium.

Yeah I wish it was that easy.... :yes: Now I will promise myself not to read any NAIA3 news unless it is regarding any concrete enws about opening dates, finalisations of some kind, not political mumbo-jumbo.

easier said than done :D

well in a political system like ours we have to face the reality that the battle in the courts will take years to resolve but hopefully that will not deter the early opening of the terminal this june

well in a political system like ours we have to face the reality that the battle in the courts will take years to resolve but hopefully that will not deter the early opening of the terminal this june

The government is in focus of the June 2005 target. It will really open the terminal COME WHAT MAY.

easier said than done :D

opening it is easier said than done;) :D

meh i can do it :yes: :lol:

@ncbmandy, how is sure that? is that your own personal opinion or you have read it is absolutely "come what may" June 2005 opening?

...and an article to top it off :D


What no partridge in a pear tree? :crazy:

hope naia 3 opens soon...i saw photos of it somewhere. looks very nice. i just went back to the philippines after over a decade of living in the states. the first impression i had of the country was old terminal 1... followed by a drive through paranyaque (instead of roxas blvd)... i must say, that would've given a very bad impression of the philippines to a tourist. can you imagine the paranoia the person would've had? even i was shocked at how poor the philippines was until I saw the skyline of makati!

5 months to go!

(hopefully... )

opening it is easier said than done;) :D

meh i can do it :yes: :lol:

@ncbmandy, how is sure that? is that your own personal opinion or you have read it is absolutely "come what may" June 2005 opening?

If the government is having a second thought of opening the terminal three they will not spend millions of pesos on making the acces road. Right now you can really see the government working very well for the preparation of the terminal 3. Thats why i said it will open COME WHAT MAY. No matter what the decision of the International Courts the government will open the terminal 3. Im sure it will, I foresaw this event......he he he..

only god i guess can halt the opening of naia terminal 3

lol be careful cause it might just happen... :runaway:

i just went back to the philippines after over a decade of living in the states. the first impression i had of the country was old terminal 1... followed by a drive through paranyaque (instead of roxas blvd)... i must say, that would've given a very bad impression of the philippines to a tourist. can you imagine the paranoia the person would've had? even i was shocked at how poor the philippines was until I saw the skyline of makati!

I read only a few days ago an article about the MMDA doing a major clean-up drive throughout the tourist routes that foreigners usually have to go through coming out of or going back to the airport. it inculdes Roxas Blvd. up until the roads that lead to NAIA's terminals. I guess they read your post! hehehe! until your comment and this MMDA effort, I never actually realized how bad of a condition those areas are in. the MMDA said it wanted to give tourists and potential investors a better impression of the country, so I hope this works...

^Thats good...but there are "shortcuts" that taxi drivers make passing through slums near the airport instead of main thoroughfairs like Roxas Blvd, Airport Road, etc

‘Raps won’t delay NAIA-3 opening’

The Philippine Star 02/12/2005

The filing of graft charges against three former government officials and private individuals allegedly involved in irregularities in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal-3 (NAIA-3) project won’t delay the facility’s opening in June, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said yesterday.

Ermita, head of the Cabinet Oversight Committee on the NAIA-3 project, disclosed that the committee is guided by a timeframe given by President Arroyo to ensure the completion of the facility.

He also noted that the Pasay City regional trial court (RTC) is still in the process of resolving the issue of fair and just compensation for the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. (Piatco).

"So hopefully this would lead to the opening of the airport in June this year. That is the target date," Ermita said.

Three former secretaries of the Department of Transportation and Communications — Vicente Rivera, Wilfredo Trinidad and Pantaleon Alvarez — and Piatco officials led by Henry Go and Cheong Yong were named as respondents in the case filed by the Ombudsman with the Sandiganbayan.

Piatco, however, denounced the move as "pure harassment and persecution."

Piatco spokeswoman lawyer Liwayway Vinzons-Chato said that in September 2003, representatives of Fraport AG of Germany, a major Piatco shareholder, had complained to the World Bank in Washington DC that the consortium was subjected to continuous pressure and extortion attempts by government officials since the Arroyo administration took over.

In a statement faxed to the media, Chato disclosed that two former government representatives had asked for millions of dollars and the ouster of Fraport’s local partner, the Cheng family, in exchange for the protection of Fraport’s investment at NAIA-3.

She added that observers in Germany view the graft charges against former government officials and Piatco executives as the way government representatives are getting back at Fraport for not agreeing to comply with their request.

She added that the charges have no basis and are merely intended to influence the pending arbitration cases at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Singapore and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in Washington.

Chato, also the spokeswoman for Piatco president Cheng Yong, recalled that the original complaint filed by Deputy Ombudsman Vic Fernandez was sent back by the Special Prosecutor’s Office for lack of probable cause but Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo has insisted on filing the case.

Marcelo, she said, is a partner at Villaraza & Angangco, previously known as Carpio, Villaraza & Cruz, the counsel of Asian Emerging Dragon Corp. (AEDC), the losing bidder in the NAIA-3 project.

Chato is also questioning why Lualhati Foundation president and former Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Edgardo Manda, who was a signatory to the Piatco contracts with the government, was not accused along with other officials of the Arroyo administration who implemented the concession contracts from 2001 to 2002.

Ermita, however, stressed that the graft charges came after years of investigations into alleged anomalous transactions between the government and Piatco.

"I think the filing of this case was enhanced by the decision of the Supreme Court declaring as null and void the contract ab initio (from the start) that Piatco entered into with the government," Ermita said.

The filing of the charges, he said, only proves that the government was on the right track when it ordered the expropriation of the new passenger terminal last December.

According to reports of the Takenaka Group, the Japanese contractor of NAIA-3, the entire facility "is already 97 to 99 percent complete."

All domestic and international flights will be transferred to NAIA-3 once it is completed.

Chato lamented that the government never spent a single centavo for the terminal but was guaranteed to receive P17.75 billion in 27 years under the voided contracts.

In contrast, the government intends to spend P26 million for consultancy services to put NAIA-3 into operation and Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza has said that no less than $50 million more would be spent to open it by June.

"Anybody can easily do their own math and see that the Piatco contracts are definitely advantageous to the government," said Vinzons-Chato. Motion For Inhibition
Piatco has also sought the inhibition of Supreme Court Justices Antonio Carpio and Renato Corona from ruling on the case involving the expropriation of NAIA-3.

In a seven-page motion for inhibition, Piatco said Carpio was a founding partner of Villaraza & Angangco while Corona held key and sensitive positions in the Arroyo administration — officer-in-charge of the Office of the Executive Secretary, presidential spokesman and later presidential chief of staff, among other positions.

"The animosity and hostility of President Arroyo against Piatco is public knowledge. Undoubtedly he (Corona) was a key member of the inner circle of the President. His close association with the President cannot be denied," Piatco said in its motion.

The government, through the Office of the Solicitor General, has asked the high court to annul the orders of Pasay City regional trial court Branch 117 Judge Henrick Gingoyon allowing the release of $62.3 million to Piatco as initial payment for the expropriation of NAIA-3.

"A reversal of the lower court’s order will mean that Piatco will not immediately be compensated (even for the alleged assessed value) of NAIA-3. This means that the bidders, including AEDC, could be benefited as the government might allow them a longer time to raise funds for the facility," Piatco said.

Meanwhile, the granting of Piatco’s motion will remove any doubt on the ability of the justices to discharge their functions with the "cold neutrality of an impartial judge." — Marichu Villanueva, Sandy Araneta, Aurea Calica

this means that centennial terminal will be exclusively for PAL and the upgrading of Centennial Terminal with additional gates for International Operation of PAL will push thru.....Good News.

Let me get this straight, so PAL will stay in T2....and they will add more gates to T2? where? in the international wing, which means that they have to demolish the old hotel?

can somebody tell me how are they gonna filter out the domestic and international passengers entering the airport. I had the impression that the only way for people to get into the boarding gates in this terminal is by going thru immigration since it was designed to handle only international flights. It will be quite chaotic and very inconvenient for the people if they are gonna ask for our passports and tickets upon entry to the immigration area to determine whether we do need a stamp in our passports or not.

And besides, why would they insist of letting PAL have sole use of T2? I thought these guys are already negotiating with these brats regarding their transfer to terminal 3?

And also, does this mean that passengers of other domestic carriers like Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines have no other choice but to live thru hell that is the Old Domestic Airport?

IMO, I think it is bad news that the north wing of T2 will be expanded just to allow PAL to use it for all its operations. I say this for the following reasons:

1). I dont think there is anyway by which you could expand T2 to make it comparable with T3. For example, I dont think it will be able to have as large a duty-free mall as T3 because the economy of scale is just not there. Also, I doubt if they could install a similar automated baggage system like T3.

2). I also believe that a hastily done expansion done without careful thought and planning will only lead to destroying the beauty T2. Even now, the concept of Manosa to have a "garden within an airport within a garden" has not been properly sustained. Many if not all the giant ferns which used to be in the alcoves have either died or have been replaced plants ill suited for the indoor lighting conditions. Many of the gardens surounding the areas in the terminal are poorly maintained.

3). PAL once said that it wants a terminal which it can use as a hub. This is contrary to its intention to stay in T2 which, no matter how you renovate it, will never a suitable hub.

4). I believe that other airlines such as Cebu Pacific with its new planes should be allowed to use T2. However, at the present moment the south wing is already near the limit of 5 million pax/year. So to me, the only way is to have PAL transfer its operations to T3 and modify the Northwing to increase the capacity of this wing from the current 2 million pax/year to the intended 4 million pax/year.

Let's wait for some clarification on this , there's a lot of PR in this battle and media is almost always exagerating, jumping the gun or plain wrong on many of these things.

Let's take a break from the Philippine government B.S. and see some pics!!!!
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p3ddaaaea804ba7b219cd796b32daf722/f5265095.jpghttp://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p5fe87548405132b89fd0c1e9d573de60/f5265096.jpg http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pfd31b6acf80cbd71c08ca17b7126f2df/f5265098.jpg
Pictures we've seen before, crappy, Any new photos of this terminal?

Old rendering of Clark International Airport
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p121b31a49da01d2853a4748fd04feb78/f5265212.jpg
I doubt Diosdado International airport will turn out like its masterplan

Bacolod International Airport
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p3a6b6a91c48f94394c66932c498753bd/f5265215.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pd5d220e31df2a8aa91a0f7e677561ed6/f5265218.jpg
Another airport facing a curruption scandal, still unclear about the details, Can't the government do anything without creating a scandal???

remember, that these newspeople are also the same people that say that the japanese air coefficients are equivalent boeing <b>575</b> aircraft.That was only one line in the article, and it doesn't even give details. Besides, it is not feasible to move domestic flights to t3. Caging PAL in T2 is only going to kill them eventually, and let's not forget about t1, which is being considered as the new domestic airport if ever PAL wants to cage itself inside the centennial terminal.

BTW, Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi is getting readier by the minute. I remember wondering if it would open before T3. The race is getting close :) (although it is sad that we had a major headstart to build a terminal that's four times smaller :D)

Another airport facing a curruption scandal, still unclear about the details, Can't the government do anything without creating a scandal??? The flesh is willing, but the spirit is weak... our politicians are a very personal lot, and they are willing to fight for their friends, as we do. They see it as being nice, while we see it as tres naughty :D

The Philippine Village Hotel near the Centennial Terminal is not operational ever since and the Nayong Pilipino will be transferred to Bay City. There is more room for the expansion of PAL's International wing in Centennial Airport for its International Operations in Europe. All Domestic Airline exluded PAL will be transferred to NAIA Terminal 3. We all know that the NAIA T3 has gates for smaller aircraft in its Left concourse. The government agency who is authorize for NAIA T3 operation already said in the news that NAIA T3 will be for International and Domestic operation of all airlines except PAL, so people let us not speculate on something else. T3 is for international and Domestic, T2 is for PAL's international and Domestic, T1 and Manila Domestic Terminal will be for Cargo and that will be it.

Let us not believe and speculate that NAIA T2 will not be suitable for international operation, For 7 years that PAL is using the left wing of T2 for its international operation they dont have any problem, thats why they are planning for the expansion of the terminal of course by their own expense since they are the one who will going to use it. The Domestic right wing of T2 is not really crowded, I use it all the time, Most Domestic flight of PAL are during the morning so you will see the domestic wing nearly empty during afternoon and evening. If they are going to expand their operation for the domestic demand that will be adding flights during afternoon and evening and not adding additional domestic gates. If PAL think that T2 is not in their advantage they will not insist of staying in this Terminal, think of it.

Let us not believe and speculate that NAIA T3 will not be suitable for domesitc operation, NAIA T3 is made for International operation and it is very easy for the architects and authority of NAIA to modify some parts of the terminal for domestic operation. If part of T2 was been able to modify for international operations, why not part of T3 modify for domestic operation right? Who says that T3 is not feasible. If it is not feasible for domestic operation the government will not move the domestic operation of our domestic carriers. I dont see any problem for domestic operations in T3. Domestic passnger will not pass in Immigration they will straight forward to check-in counter, and i don't see any problem with that. Maybe this plan is temporary only they are just waiting for the final upgrading of PAL in T2 before the monorail will construct and moving all domestic operation in right wing of T2., who knows....

If you are coming from abroad and you are using other airline except PAL and you plan to visit the islands in our country then you dont need to transfer terminal since domestic airline is already in the NAIA T3, same goes with PAL because if you use PAL to travel to the philippines and you plan to visit the islands you dont need to go to T3 because PAL already has domestic operation in T2.

T3 and T2 dont have a monorail it only has an access road for cargos. I think the plan of the government is brillant, both terminal has International and Domestic operations people dont need to travel from terminal to terminal just to catch their domestic flight. The government knows what they are doing and it is not a dumb idea to transfer the domestic flight for T3. It is also not a dumb idea to let the PAL remain in T2. These is their plan for JUNE 2005 and i think we should be happy for that, afterall opening of the terminal is far more important Right?

All major carriers has their own terminal hub for its operation and I think it is good if PAL remained in Centennial Terminal since it is our national carrier.

The Philippine Village Hotel near the Centennial Terminal is not operational ever since and the Nayong Pilipino will be transferred to Bay City. There is more room for the expansion of PAL's International wing in Centennial Airport for its International Operations in Europe. All Domestic Airline exluded PAL will be transferred to NAIA Terminal 3. We all know that the NAIA T3 has gates for smaller aircraft in its Left concourse. The government agency who is authorize for NAIA T3 operation already said in the news that NAIA T3 will be for International and Domestic operation of all airlines except PAL, so people let us not speculate on something else. T3 is for international and Domestic, T2 is for PAL's international and Domestic, T1 and Manila Domestic Terminal will be for Cargo and that will be it.

Let us not believe and speculate that NAIA T2 will not be suitable for international operation, For 7 years that PAL is using the left wing of T2 for its international operation they dont have any problem, thats why they are planning for the expansion of the terminal of course by their own expense since they are the one who will going to use it. The Domestic right wing of T2 is not really crowded, I use it all the time, Most Domestic flight of PAL are during the morning so you will see the domestic wing nearly empty during afternoon and evening. If they are going to expand their operation for the domestic demand that will be adding flights during afternoon and evening and not adding additional domestic gates. If PAL think that T2 is not in their advantage they will not insist of staying in this Terminal, think of it.

Let us not believe and speculate that NAIA T3 will not be suitable for domesitc operation, NAIA T3 is made for International operation and it is very easy for the architects and authority of NAIA to modify some parts of the terminal for domestic operation. If part of T2 was been able to modify for international operations, why not part of T3 modify for domestic operation right? Who says that T3 is not feasible. If it is not feasible the government will not move the domestic operation of our domestic carriers.

If you are coming from abroad and you are using other airline except PAL and you plan to visit the islands in our country then you dont need to transfer terminal since domestic airline is already in the NAIA T3, same goes with PAL because if you use PAL to travel to the philippines and you plan to visit the islands you dont need to go to T3 because PAL already has domestic operation in T2.

T3 and T2 dont have a monorail it only has an access road for cargos. I think the plan of the government is brillant, both terminal has International and Domestic operations people dont need to travel from terminal to terminal just to catch their domestic flight. The government knows what they are doing and it is not a dumb idea to transfer the domestic flight for T3. It is also not a dumb idea to let the PAL remain in T2. These is their plan for JUNE 2005 and i think we should be happy for that, afterall opening of the terminal is far more important Right?

All major carriers has their own terminal hub for its operation and I think it is good if PAL remained in Centennial Terminal since it is our national carrier.

Where do I start?

1) T2 is definitely not suited for long-term hub operations. T2's connectivity and the like was adaptable to the fact that PAL uses its planes like mad. It is a major feat that they are able to sustain their route network with their current fleet of some 30-odd planes. Remember that PAL's receivership is going to end, and they will be able to acquire new planes once that happens. Since A380's are out of PAL's budget, I'm thinking that they're going to acquire a lot of cheap second hand 747s. As I recall, 747s side by side in T2 don't fit. Whenever 747s come and go, they'll be taking up too much space, especially since they park at the gates during the peak hours. This problem has been somewhat solved with the use of remote stands, as uncomfortable as they are, especially in typhoon season.

2)So T2 is small. Expand it, right? PAL will finance it, right? However, contact gates are one thing. Terminals aren't just about gates. There are also check in counters, baggage claim facilities, and immigration to worry about. And these are very important. You have seen how long the check-in lines can get, right? And you are aware that flights share carousels sometimes, making the baggage claim process really tedious, right? If PAL really wants to hub in T2, it can start by demolishing Nayong Pilipino and builiding a new concourse for its international flights. Let's throw in a taxiway and an apron while we're at it. And a nicer KLIA-ish passenger area, too.

3)passenger facilities. have you read the trip reports of people waiting in t2? its boring to have a layover there. Limited shops, nothing to do, and nothing to do yet again except sit and read or stare. And this is supposed to compete with Changi? PAL's combined international and domestic volume isn't enough to justify a mini-SM in t2, especially since you can't just use the facilities on the other wing without going through immigration.

4)PAL codeshares a lot of routes. And they liberally use their sixth-freedom rights on these codeshares. PAL has so many codeshare partners, and they can't fit in T2. Besides, once PAL gets its own metal, it will scrap these codeshare deals and fly them themselves.

5)in the long run, NAIA doesn't have parallel runways. If PAL wants to hub in NAIA, their long-term expansion will be limited, as their frequencies will depend on one runway. As you've seen a few weeks ago, a single plane crash on NAIA's runway affected so many flights. One crash during a peak hour can ruin an entire day's schedule.

6)yes, t3 has gates designed for narrowbodies, however, not all international flights here are on widebodies. quite a lot of flights to manila are on narrowbodies, like the MAS and china southern flights. They deserve contact gates too, and if you reserve them contact gates, there wouldn't be enough for domestic services. and I would be fairly weirded out if I see an Asian Spirit turboprop in T3. Not just that, you're also hampering the development of the other local carriers. What if Cebu Pacific acquires 747s and uses them for domestic flights? Catering to them would mean that you'd have to reserve a few widebody gates for domestic use, too...

7)splitting T3 in international and domestic will not only entail a radical redesign, like in T2, but it will also compromise passenger facilities, duty free, restaurants, and the like, since there are less passengers, there will be less facilities. Besides, what if some airline wanted to switch to PAL domestic? they'd have to go through quite a bit of hassle.

In the end, would you really want two terminals that split their function and deliver third-rate services instead of two terminals used for exactly the purpose for which they've been built? And for what? PAL? If all international services were at t3, and all domestic services were at t2, then we would have two terminals that sufficiently cater to those passengers. If you really want to give tourists a nice impression, don't give them hell at the airport. But what about connectivity, you ask? Its a simple problem that can be addressed.

You can either

a) make an airside shuttle for connecting domestic flights. Just make sure that the baggage has been forwarded to the domestic terminal
b) instead of pouring money into t2 expansion, PAL can just build the damn tunnel
or c) do what PAL did when their international ops were still in T1: special flights to cebu from the international terminal.

Those are just some of the solutions. It is far easier to figure out how to ferry passengers from one terminal to another than to disfigure two terminals.

The government already think of that and they trash that idea for the meantime, maybe in the near future it will be but now the government focus is to open the terminal no more no less, and by adding a monorail will cause so much delay for the JUNE 2005 opening, maybe their current plan is temporary only and once the terminal has been opened then your idea maybe reconsider. I will just wait for the June 2005 opening. I'm a graduate computer engineering and not an airport designer or an architect and i dont really know what will be good for that terminal. I don't want to speculate or raise my ideas anymore about what will the terminal be or should not be because it is not in my educational background. All I have to do is wait and cherish the fact that the terminal will be open on JUNE 2005 come what may. :)

:master: on Solblanc's post. My thoughts exactly...use the airports for what they are designed for!! Makes the whole system run more efficiently and productively. Why do they need to change things just to suit PAL's likings? It will only result to further scandals, delays and passenger chaos. Building the tunnel will be much more cost-effective in the long run. Besides, they should not build an extention to NAIA 2 because they really dont need it...NAIA is already congested the way it is. Instead they should think about the future, the long term which is to build a new, bigger and better airport in Clark.

Well it would really be nice if NAIA3 can open in June 2005, with or without PAL. On another note, the pictures posted of the Bacolod airport in Silay are also most the same as that which will be constructed in Cabatuan Iloilo, and the same as the one to be built in Tacloban. It seems that Japanese consultant DOTC hired seems to be recycling the design. I guess we will soon have a bunch of similar looking terminals if and when all of them are build. IMO this may be boring.

Gen Santos International Airport (http://www.ato.gov.ph/Airports/Tambler.htm)

Huge airport area. Bigger than Davao. Less flights. They say... white elephant.

NAIA, huh! the country frontdoor reflects what the Philippines really is.

Well it would really be nice if NAIA3 can open in June 2005, with or without PAL. On another note, the pictures posted of the Bacolod airport in Silay are also most the same as that which will be constructed in Cabatuan Iloilo, and the same as the one to be built in Tacloban. It seems that Japanese consultant DOTC hired seems to be recycling the design. I guess we will soon have a bunch of similar looking terminals if and when all of them are build. IMO this may be boring.

i beleive all these new airports projects are funded by the japanese government loans jst like the manila t2 centennial it was built using loans from japan

The government already think of that and they trash that idea for the meantime, maybe in the near future it will be but now the government focus is to open the terminal no more no less, and by adding a monorail will cause so much delay for the JUNE 2005 opening, maybe their current plan is temporary only and once the terminal has been opened then your idea maybe reconsider. I will just wait for the June 2005 opening. I'm a graduate computer engineering and not an airport designer or an architect and i dont really know what will be good for that terminal. I don't want to speculate or raise my ideas anymore about what will the terminal be or should not be because it is not in my educational background. All I have to do is wait and cherish the fact that the terminal will be open on JUNE 2005 come what may. :)

speculate all you want, dearie, your ideas are still valid ;) this is a hobby, and we can fantasize as much as we want. Except don't call it fantasizing or speculating. Call it a vision.

Where do I start?

1) T2 is definitely not suited for long-term hub operations. T2's connectivity and the like was adaptable to the fact that PAL uses its planes like mad. It is a major feat that they are able to sustain their route network with their current fleet of some 30-odd planes. Remember that PAL's receivership is going to end, and they will be able to acquire new planes once that happens. Since A380's are out of PAL's budget, I'm thinking that they're going to acquire a lot of cheap second hand 747s. As I recall, 747s side by side in T2 don't fit. Whenever 747s come and go, they'll be taking up too much space, especially since they park at the gates during the peak hours. This problem has been somewhat solved with the use of remote stands, as uncomfortable as they are, especially in typhoon season.

2)So T2 is small. Expand it, right? PAL will finance it, right? However, contact gates are one thing. Terminals aren't just about gates. There are also check in counters, baggage claim facilities, and immigration to worry about. And these are very important. You have seen how long the check-in lines can get, right? And you are aware that flights share carousels sometimes, making the baggage claim process really tedious, right? If PAL really wants to hub in T2, it can start by demolishing Nayong Pilipino and builiding a new concourse for its international flights. Let's throw in a taxiway and an apron while we're at it. And a nicer KLIA-ish passenger area, too.

3)passenger facilities. have you read the trip reports of people waiting in t2? its boring to have a layover there. Limited shops, nothing to do, and nothing to do yet again except sit and read or stare. And this is supposed to compete with Changi? PAL's combined international and domestic volume isn't enough to justify a mini-SM in t2, especially since you can't just use the facilities on the other wing without going through immigration.

4)PAL codeshares a lot of routes. And they liberally use their sixth-freedom rights on these codeshares. PAL has so many codeshare partners, and they can't fit in T2. Besides, once PAL gets its own metal, it will scrap these codeshare deals and fly them themselves.

5)in the long run, NAIA doesn't have parallel runways. If PAL wants to hub in NAIA, their long-term expansion will be limited, as their frequencies will depend on one runway. As you've seen a few weeks ago, a single plane crash on NAIA's runway affected so many flights. One crash during a peak hour can ruin an entire day's schedule.

6)yes, t3 has gates designed for narrowbodies, however, not all international flights here are on widebodies. quite a lot of flights to manila are on narrowbodies, like the MAS and china southern flights. They deserve contact gates too, and if you reserve them contact gates, there wouldn't be enough for domestic services. and I would be fairly weirded out if I see an Asian Spirit turboprop in T3. Not just that, you're also hampering the development of the other local carriers. What if Cebu Pacific acquires 747s and uses them for domestic flights? Catering to them would mean that you'd have to reserve a few widebody gates for domestic use, too...

7)splitting T3 in international and domestic will not only entail a radical redesign, like in T2, but it will also compromise passenger facilities, duty free, restaurants, and the like, since there are less passengers, there will be less facilities. Besides, what if some airline wanted to switch to PAL domestic? they'd have to go through quite a bit of hassle.

In the end, would you really want two terminals that split their function and deliver third-rate services instead of two terminals used for exactly the purpose for which they've been built? And for what? PAL? If all international services were at t3, and all domestic services were at t2, then we would have two terminals that sufficiently cater to those passengers. If you really want to give tourists a nice impression, don't give them hell at the airport. But what about connectivity, you ask? Its a simple problem that can be addressed.

You can either

a) make an airside shuttle for connecting domestic flights. Just make sure that the baggage has been forwarded to the domestic terminal
b) instead of pouring money into t2 expansion, PAL can just build the damn tunnel
or c) do what PAL did when their international ops were still in T1: special flights to cebu from the international terminal.

Those are just some of the solutions. It is far easier to figure out how to ferry passengers from one terminal to another than to disfigure two terminals.






i couldn't have put it any better. you tell 'em solblanc. way to go!!!

i beleive all these new airports projects are funded by the japanese government loans jst like the manila t2 centennial it was built using loans from japan

While that is true, the technical layout of T2 was done by the ADP team of Paul Andreu, while the architecture was Bobby Manosa. In the case Iloilo, Bacolod and Tacloban they are all the same. There is very little difference between these three terminals except of the number of contact gates. To me, it is so monotonous. When you go to China, they have alot of airports but no two are alike.

3 EX-DOTC CHIEFS FACE GRAFT RAPS FOR NAIA-3

MANILA, February 11, 2005 (STAR) By Delon Porcalla - Three former secretaries of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) were charged with graft along with several other people before the Sandiganbayan yesterday over irregularities in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) project.

Prosecutors held former DOTC secretaries Vicente Rivera, Wilfredo Trinidad and Pantaleon Alvarez; Undersecretary Primitivo Cal, and bids and awards committee vice chairman Francisco Atayde criminally liable for entering into contracts that were allegedly favorable to the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. (Piatco) at the expense of the government.

The late DOTC chief Arturo Enrile was also mentioned twice in the charge sheet, but he was no longer included in the case since prosecutors said the death of the accused extinguished his criminal liability.

The terms of these DOTC chiefs span three presidencies. Enrile and Trinidad, in an acting capacity, served during the Ramos administration, Rivera in the Estrada administration and Alvarez in the Arroyo administration.

Piatco was the private consortium that built NAIA-3, set to open this June. Its opening has been deferred several times due to controversies surrounding the $465-million project.

Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Victor Fernandez, who approved the indictments, also included several Piatco officials in the charge sheet: presidents Henry Go and Cheng Yong, director Hans Arthur Vogel, and consultants Alfredo Liongson and Bernd Struck.

All but two of those named in the charge sheet were recommended for bail bonds of P30,000 each. Go, charged with three counts of graft, will have to post P90,000 bail while Trinidad has to shell out P60,000 for his temporary liberty.

Government prosecutors said these former DOTC officials took advantage of their position and granted Paircargo Consortium — later renamed Piatco — "unwarranted benefits" from July 1997 to June 2001.

The officials allegedly violated the anti-graft law and Republic Act 7718, or the build, operate and transfer (BOT) law, by entering into contracts that oblige the government to assume Piatco’s liabilities, public utilities included, in case of "default," they said.

The prosecutors said other onerous provisions include one in which the government is "obligated" to pay Piatco P180 million if the Pasay City regional trial court (RTC) nullifies the contract for the construction of NAIA-3.

They also questioned another provision specifying the construction of a "less expensive access road" that would connect NAIA Terminal 2 to NAIA-3, allowing Piatco "immense savings" since it was supposed to build an "access tunnel."

The indictment, prepared by graft investigator Donna Pascual, stated that the DOTC officials also conspired with Piatco executives by allowing the consortium to construct under the BOT scheme even though it did not have the "financial capability" and was "not a qualified bidder."

Cal, Atayde and Alvarez, then chairman of the DOTC bids and awards committee, were charged with granting a franchise to Piatco even though the consortium was not entitled to it.

The Ombudsman said these officials entered into the 1997 concession agreement, side agreement, and restated concession agreement — all of which were "grossly disadvantageous to the government."

Fernandez stressed that public office is a public trust. "The notion of public trust connotes accountability. Accountability is synonymous with responsibility for the decisions one has made pursuant to the prerogatives granted one’s office," he said.

The Piatco case, he added, "is a prime example of why only the crème de la crème should hold positions of public trust and accountability. They should give meaning to integrity and responsibility."

Fernandez also urged President Arroyo to choose her appointees well.

"She should also learn to be more circumspect in the choice of her appointees. Otherwise, she would not have learned from this painful, costly mistake called Piatco," he said.

Meanwhile, Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. called for the immediate opening of NAIA-3 to take advantage of the increase in tourism brought about by the tsunami that devastated several Asian countries last December.

"After the tsunami difficulties in the Indian Ocean, there is an increasing need for the expansion and modernization of Philippine tourism facilities. The first entry point or frontline of tourism is the airport," he said.

De Venecia, in an interview with reporters yesterday at the NAIA dignitaries’ lounge, said he has talked with Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Manila International Airport Authority general manager Alfonso Cusi about expediting the opening of the terminal.

De Venecia, together with outgoing Energy Secretary Vicente Perez, left for Seoul, South Korea yesterday via Korean Air flight KE-622 shortly after noon.

He acknowledged that while the NAIA-3 opening may be delayed, "there is a need for them to push everybody. If the President set that deadline, then everybody must move strongly and rapidly."

De Venecia said a meeting between Mrs. Arroyo and representatives of airline companies is dependent on the "call of (DOTC Secretary Leandro) Mendoza and Cusi."

He said he has met with the Airline Operators Council and its chairman Leoncio Nakpil when he was their guest speaker some weeks ago.

"I called up Mendoza the following day to mobilize rapid action to resettle these airline companies so they can move to the new terminal by June or before June," De Venecia said.

He hopes that "the arbitration process or the government dealing directly with Piatco can work out a reasonable compromise solution that will enable us to open the airport expeditiously."

On the other hand, opposition Sen. Edgardo Angara said the government should first "settle the issue" with all parties involved.

He criticized the government for its move to take over NAIA-3 last December using a writ of possession granted by the Pasay City RTC after it filed expropriation proceedings.

"Delay in our country is well known. In the meantime, you are enriching yourself at the expense of others by using some facility that you didn’t build and others spent for. It’s a question of fairness and a matter of presentation to invest in the country," Angara said as he left for Madrid via Thailand on Thai Airways flight TG-621 at 2:20 p.m. yesterday.

He is set to meet with representatives of the Agencia de Cooperacion to discuss aid to develop coastal areas of Aurora province.

Angara, quoting a statement from the Asian Development Bank, said the government must improve the investment climate.

"Obviously, that is one of the things that is a disincentive to investors that government could take over your property and simply say, ‘You wait for our courts to decide how much we should pay you,’ because that’s like waiting for eternity. It goes back to fairness, whether between persons or between countries," he said.

The government is waiting for the Supreme Court to rule on the Office of the Solicitor General’s petition for permanent injunction to stop the enforcement of a ruling by Pasay City RTC Branch 117 Judge Henrick Gingoyon which called for the government to pay Piatco an initial $62.3 million in just compensation and prevented the government from "performing acts of ownership over the terminal," despite the writ of possession he issued earlier.

The government recently filed two counter-suits, each asking for $900 million, against Germany’s Fraport AG before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in Washington D and against Piatco before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Singapore. Fraport owns 30 percent of Piatco.

Fraport filed a petition for arbitration and sued for $425 million in damages saying that, among other things, "the Republic has expropriated the investments of Fraport in NAIA-3 in alleged violation of the Philippines-Germany Bilateral Investment Treaty" forged on Apr. 17, 1997. The ICSID has constituted its arbitral tribunal and started proceedings.

At the ICC in Singapore, Piatco filed a $560-million damage suit against the government last year, a few months after Mrs. Arroyo voided the Piatco contract. Her move was later upheld by the Supreme Court.

Piatco also filed a request for arbitration against the Republic of the Philippines before the ICC, asserting a number of claims against the government for voiding the concession agreement for the BOT contract on the NAIA-3 project. The government filed its answer to Piatco’s request with the ICC last Jan. 30, 2004. — With Sandy Araneta

NAIA-3 stakeholders will be paid -- Palace
Malacañang yesterday gave its assurance that the Philippine government would "justly" compensate all the legitimate stakeholders of the mothballed Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3), as determined by the courts.

Press Sec. Ignacio R. Bunye said the government remains committed to pay Fraport AG, the German partner of Philippine Air Terminal Co., Inc. (Piatco) for the airport project, as soon as the courts give the order.

"All the legitimate stakeholders of the NAIA-3 Terminal will be justly compensated. We are as strongly committed to this end as much as we are determined to make the terminal fully operational in the soonest possible time," Mr. Bunye said in a statement.

The Palace made the reaction following the statement of Fraport that it would pursue its arbitration case against the Philippine government after it failed to compensate the company for its $425-million investment in the construction of NAIA-3.

The German Embassy has also warned that it will submit the dispute for settlement to an "ad hoc international arbitral tribunal" composed of three "mutually agreed" arbiters, if the Philippines would fail to pay Fraport within the next six months.

The government in December took over NAIA-3 after negotiations with Fraport and Piatco regarding the payment of the airport terminal bogged down.

Fraport has demanded the government should pay a minimum of €350 million ($465 million) for the terminal, but the government was willing to pay only up to P3-billion ($53.57 million).

Fraport has brought the government before the World Bank's International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes in USA, while Piatco has filed a recovery case before the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Singapore.

But instead of waiting for the results of the arbitration proceedings, the Office of the Solicitor General filed on Dec. 21 the expropriation petition at the Pasay Regional Trial Court to allow the government to take over the airport terminal.

Fraport assailed the government for the move, saying the Arroyo administration had committed a "further flagrant breech of the law."

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, on the other hand, defended the government decision, saying the expropriation was undertaken "only after all reasonable measures to arrive at a negotiated settlement broke down."

The President seemed to be unaffected with Fraport's threats during her visit in Batangas City to launch two Japanese-funded infrastructure projects in the port of Batangas in Batangas City.

The President led the ground-breaking ceremonies for the P145-million access road and flyover project at the Batangas port. The President also inaugurated the port's new general cargo berth worth more than half a million pesos.

While the Philippines is at odds with the German government regarding the Fraport case, the President pledged that her administration remains committed to implement foreign-assisted projects.

In particular, Mrs. Arroyo assured the Japanese authorities that the government would push for infrastructure projects that would benefit Japanese investors in the Philippines.

"I would like to assure the Japanese that the Japanese official development assistance will be focused on the infrastructure requirements needed so that the Japanese will invest in the Philippines and give jobs to our people," the President told reporters. -- Jeffrey O. Valisno

_____________________________________________________

Whatever happened to opening it this coming June 21? Bakit balik nanaman tayo sa opening it as soon as possible. This is bad.
:mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2:

I'm beginning to not care anymore! >( (Damn if you do and damn if you dont.) :(

THis is why.

While this seems like nothing has happened , just a letter, an experienced diplomat can tell you na mabigat iyan. Diplomacy is very suttle, for a government to actually even admit that there is a problem between countries is a big thing.

Bluster and bullying can only get you so far when your the small fry dealing with bigger fish.

Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.


Germany’s Fraport flexes muscle

The Philippine Star 02/13/2005

Fraport AG of Germany, one of the major shareholders of the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. (Piatco), has decided to flex its diplomatic muscle in pressing for immediate compensation from the Philippine government for their investment in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Passenger Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) project.

The German government, through German Ambassador Axel Weishaupt, formally presented to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) a démarche in support of the compensation claims of Fraport against the Philippine government.

A démarche is a diplomatic move, counter-move or maneuver manifested by an ambassador to the host government.

The German government’s démarche was contained in a three-page aide-mémoire dated Jan. 25 and addressed to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who chairs the Cabinet Oversight Committee on the NAIA-3 project.

In the aide-mémoire, the German government supported the petition of Fraport to the Philippine government for just compensation "in accordance with international law, specifically the provisions of the Philippine-German Agreement for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments" signed on April 18, 1997 in Bonn.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye released to Palace reporters yesterday a copy of the aide-mémoire as well as the reply statement of the Philippine government, through Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo.

Bunye disclosed that the Palace decided to make public the démarche after it received information that the German ambassador would call a press conference to present their support for Fraport’s bid.

Following the decision of President Arroyo to void the Piatco contract, which was subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court, Fraport sued the Philippine government before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in Washington DC.

A separate case was also filed by Piatco and Fraport before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Singapore.

Romulo, however, said the ambassador expressed his government’s confidence that the Philippine government will confirm its commitment for just and fair compensation.

At this point though, the Pasay City regional trial court (RTC) is still in the process of resolving the amount of compensation for the builders of NAIA-3.

"Such a solution is important to the interest of avoiding a burden to Philippine-German relations and in ensuring that the international reputation of the Philippines as a location for investments is not impaired," Weishaupt stated.

Weishaupt, in his aide-mémoire, expressed the German government’s concern over the expropriation of NAIA-3, saying it is not encouraging German businesses to invest in the Philippines.

"However, the German government would greatly appreciate a mutually satisfactory solution with regard to the expropriated investments by Piatco and Fraport AG in NAIA-3," he added. — Marichu Villanueva

I'm beginning to not care anymore! >( (Damn if you do and damn if you dont.) :(

Welcome to the group.

I still stand by my promise not to read any articles about NAIA3 unless its about opening. The politics can sort itself out

ya the government will take care of that, we couldnt care less, they will be jstly compensated and we have our brand new terminal for the people to enjoy

@renell, count me in on that.. im growing tired of reading all the news yakking and yakking about legalities and all that.. just open it already!

well we'll see in a couple of months if we get our wish and prayers answered.. ;)

damn...i agree with renell, kiretoce and stephencua - i wont care about it anymore, until it opens. I'm not even reading these articles anymore. But it looks like its about to get really serious since the German Govt. is now involved (couldnt help reading the article above:D)

http://www.airport-dubrovnik.hr/slike/images/oprema14_jpg.jpg

A little off topic (to get your tired minds off the T3 debate)....
Isn't this cool? Wish they had these zipping around at NAIA from one terminal to the next, or to ferry passengers to and from remote gates on the tarmac. :)

I remember seeing a couple of buses moving around the tarmac in NAIA. They really should facilitate movement from one terminal to the other, without leaving the airport premises. Even if it is just by bus. Frankfurt and Heathrow still use buses, well last time I was there. I believe Frankfurt will have something what O'Hare now has.

This is what MIAA Uses... this is one they use at a airport in Italy. not exactly the same logo.. but Exactly the same model they use

http://www.fly-net.org/aeromedia/lb804.jpg

Do they use it? ie for Passenger Use?

yep.. for shuttling ppl from Ramp-Terminal

Oh maganda naman pala, looks regular and world class not the home made ok na ito, let's make do kasi kulang sa budget buses Cebu Pacific uses in domestic!

By the way gent's (and Lady - only mhe an right meron pa ba?:)), I know that the problem with the airport is very frustrating as is with so many issues bugging out country, but if the people in the forum whom I've seen to care enough to be aware of issues and problems stop caring , baka wala nang mangyari sa atin. I must admit I don't really read allthe blow by blow , spin induced, media drivel regarding this but I still am very interested if only because I need to use the thing. Time out is important and a must when one is so close to an issue or problems but hopefully the various insights and contributions from the good people in this forum still continue as they are appreciated.

Remember the famous quote: All that is neccesary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing -Edmund Burke.

To end this off tangent post on a lighter note, here's something from the Dark and Stormy Night Competition- (No analogy to the Dark and Stormy night, light at the end of the tunnel situation of our airport!)

TO all those budding writers and novelists out there ......



The "Dark and Stormy Night" competition is for the worst opening line for a novel, short story or

essay. You know, the classic opening line that you read and say uh-oh

... this is going to be a real doozey of a story. The kind that Peanut's

dog, Snoopy, always opens one of his novels with, like ..."It was a dark

and stormy night, when ..." Any way, these came from this year's annual

"Dark and Stormy Night" competition. They are actual analogies and

metaphors taken from high school essays.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides
gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like
underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a
guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of
those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country
speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse
without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E-coli and he was
room temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes
just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot-three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated
because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge
at a formerly surcharge-free ATM.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a
bowling ball wouldn't.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag
filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie,
surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and American Idol
comes on at 8:00 p.m. instead of 8:30.

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you
fry them in hot grease.

14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across
the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having
left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka
at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences
that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.

16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had
also never met.

17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant and she was the
East River.

18. Even in his last years, Grandpappy had a mind like a steel trap,
only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil,

this plan just might work.

21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not
eating for a while.

22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either,
but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land
mine or something.

23. The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg
behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with
power tools.

25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as
if she were a garbage truck backing up.

26. Her eyes were like limpid pools, only they had forgotten to put in
any pH cleanser.

27. She walked into my office like a centipede with 98 missing legs.

28. It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it
to the wall.

That's The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, after the writer of that infamous line. His most famous work was The Last Days of Pompeii. He was actually a bestselling author, the Dan Brown of his age.

Suffice it to say, it isn't a very prestigious contest.

What's the connection with NAIA3?

What's the connection with NAIA3?

NAIA III's opening was late, the way you can be late to class after you accidentally spill your coffee on your pants and try to dry yourself by fanning at your lap with the morning papers.

This is what MIAA Uses... this is one they use at a airport in Italy. not exactly the same logo.. but Exactly the same model they use

http://www.fly-net.org/aeromedia/lb804.jpg

Yeah...NAIA has a few of those buses. About 5, i think. I've used them many times now, especially in domestic flights.

That's The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, after the writer of that infamous line. His most famous work was The Last Days of Pompeii. He was actually a bestselling author, the Dan Brown of his age.

Suffice it to say, it isn't a very prestigious contest.

What's the connection with NAIA3?
exactly nothing, meant to lighten up the spirits of people depressed by the endless bickering about naia3

Ganito ba yung itsura nung pinaplano nilang extension ng NAIA sa Laguna bay?

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20050216/capt.tok81102161134.japan_new_airport_tok811.jpg

Eto yung bagon airport ng Nagoya, Japan. Open 24/7.

the one in Laguna de Bay looks worse. plus we don't need it. Japan, Nagoya probably needs it

the one in Laguna de Bay looks worse. plus we don't need it. Japan, Nagoya probably needs it
Yeah. They built that airport for the World Expo 2005 in Nagoya. You may want to visit. ;-)

NAIA fuel lines inspected
By Sandy Araneta
The Philippine Star 02/19/2005

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/News200502196302.htm

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) recently inspected the fuel lines at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport complex in preparation for the opening of the NAIA Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) in June.

In a statement, MIAA general manager Alfonso Cusi said a two-day site visit and inspection was conducted by MIAA and representatives from Shell Australia to evaluate the condition of the NAIA-3 fuel hydrant system.

The inspection team was led by Gerd Temmhoff and Arthur Dimitropoulos, Shell’s aviation engineering and procurement manager and aviation project engineer for Asia Pacific, respectively.

Cusi said the objective of the visit was to prepare a pre-commissioning procedure that will ensure an internationally acceptable fueling system.

Facilities inspected include the pipeline route and assembly of inline equipment, general arrangement of the pipelines, valve chambers, and other control and protection systems essential to the prevention of accidents.

"We are confident that NAIA-3 will be able to open its gates to the world by June 2005 or even earlier with the help of all these companies who are sending their representatives here, as well as all our other partners in the aviation industry," Cusi said.

The fuel hydrant system is a facility that will distribute jet A-1 from the tank farm to the parked aircraft.

Refueling operations at the NAIA-3 will be provided by Joint Oil Companies and Aviation Storage Plant (JOCASP), a joint venture company owned by major oil companies Shell, Caltex, Petron and Mobile.

Tests for the auxiliary, emergency fuel shut off and the leak detection systems are being carried out to confirm the fuel hydrant system’s integrity.

Ganito ba yung itsura nung pinaplano nilang extension ng NAIA sa Laguna bay?

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20050216/capt.tok81102161134.japan_new_airport_tok811.jpg

Eto yung bagon airport ng Nagoya, Japan. Open 24/7.

Off-shore airports like Nagoya and Kansai are the best options for over crowded cities with little or no land space to spare for expansion. I wonder if Manila Bay is too deep to build an airport like this without it sinking gradually like that which plagues Osaka-Kansai.

Off-shore airports like Nagoya and Kansai are the best options for over crowded cities with little or no land space to spare for expansion. I wonder if Manila Bay is too deep to build an airport like this without it sinking gradually like that which plagues Osaka-Kansai.

Let me mention that the issue of land is not the primary reason why Osaka, and now Nagoya, have airports located offshore. For an airport to operate 24-7, it must be situated such that planes do not pass over heavily populated areas in the middle of the night otherwise this would wake up those who are sleeping. One of the best ways of achieving this is to locate the airport in a man made island in the middle the sea.

The issue regarding time-dependent settlements of the man-made island on which Kansai Airport is built is that these settlements are occurring at a rate that is higher than initially estimated. I know this for a fact because in 1990 I was involved in the FEM analysis Nikken Sekei commisioned to look into the settlement problem.

In my professional opinion, I think that it would be possible but expensive to build a man made island in Manila bay. Today there are many ways of hastening the consolidation process such that structures can be build within a few years after construction of the man-made island is completed. I would believe it would be more difficult to build such an artificial island in Laguna de bay due to the higher amounts organic materials at the bottom of the bay.

i passed by SLEX yesterday and i saw several pillars near villamor airbase.. are these supposed to be the stands for one of the entrance ramps for NAIA-3? thanks for the info!

I read in the inquirer earlier that PAL finally put its foot down. Its not moving to terminal 3, as it just has no money to do so, unless the government makes an attractive offer.

I hope that the NAIA 3 will be opened for business soon. We Badly need the new airport. You know why (let me put it in Tagalog), kasi yuon ang unang mapapansin ng mga turista sa ating bansa, kailangan natin ng magandang "first impression"

i think this is the article that solblanc is referring to.. this was taken from inq7.net..

Tan: PAL won't move to Naia-3 without good lease offer
Posted: 1:39 AM | Feb. 21, 2005

Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer News Service

CHINESE-FILIPINO tycoon Lucio Tan is putting his foot down, saying that the Philippine Airlines (PAL) will not be moving to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 unless the Arroyo administration makes a "very attractive offer."

The PAL chair and chief executive officer said that moving the flag carrier's operations from Naia Terminal 2 to the new airport facility would be very costly for the airline company.

"We are happy where we are now," said his son Michael Tan, head of the Lucio Tan Group of Companies, during a briefing with the Inquirer last week.

According to the taipan, the airline business is very slow these days and PAL doesn't have the money to move to Naia 3.

"It is expensive to move," Tan said. "Unless the government would give us an attractive offer. If the rental is attractive then we could consider."

PAL is the largest airline operating domestic and overseas routes for passenger and cargo. The Arroyo administration is worried that the Terminal 3 would not be viable without PAL.

The government said it could open Naia 3 for commercial operations by June, after taking over the facility in late December amid unresolved arbitration cases against the private group that built the terminal.

The taipan said PAL has not even received an attractive rental offer from the government, contrary to the government claims that the flag carrier has agreed to move to Naia 3.

"PAL wrote to us, saying that they were ready to transfer to Terminal 3, provided that its domestic and international flights would stay in one roof," Transport Secretary Leandro Mendoza said earlier.

The transport chief said the Arroyo administration would like to use Naia 2 for the domestic operations of all other airlines.

He said PAL was also having a hard time fitting in all its flights within Naia 2. "We need the Terminal 2 for domestic operations," Mendoza added.

The Arroyo administration is evaluating the requests of airline companies for a moratorium on any increase in aviation fees if they would transfer to Naia 3.

He said the plan was to offer a special introductory level of fees and charges to the new residents of Naia 3. He could not say if the government could keep aviation fees and charges unchanged and for how long.

"Airlines fear that if we make them transfer to Terminal 3, they feel we would transfer to them the burden of paying for Naia 3," said the transport chief. "But we will not do that. We will make sure that the fees would be reasonable."

Mendoza said that Naia 3 would try to generate profits from the rentals and other businesses within the terminal so as not to pass on the burden of raising the money from the airlines.

The Arroyo administration is spending about P700 million to upgrade Naia 3, including the construction of a peripheral road connecting Terminal 3 with the older airports, including the cargo warehouse near Naia 1.

Mendoza said ongoing inspection of Terminal 3 should ensure that the facility was structurally sound. The government earlier said Naia 3 had more than 40 construction defects.

The transport chief said the P700 million the government would be spending would not yet cover the establishment of a cargo facility within Terminal 3.

He said the plan was to build a separate cargo hub within the nearby Nayong Pilipino park, which would be used by all tenants of the Naia terminals.

PAL operates 32 aircraft for its domestic and international passenger and cargo routes. It has been using the relatively new Naia 2 exclusively to service passengers, while all other carriers utilize Naia 1, the oldest terminal.


Related Sites: Philippine Airlines


man.. PAL sounds like its going to be a brat about this and not think about the good of the country.. stupid...

there are many arguments on the subject of where PAL should be when NAIA 3 opens. however, how can you blame then. if the future of PAL as a world class airline, it has to have something unique to offer its passengers. hence, its own terminal. it will be something unique to the passengers that distinguishes the PAL experience. i jusy believe that if PAL wants to take advantage of that excuse to stay where they are, they need to ensure that NAIA 2 is part of the total package. for me, ive always wanted to see NAIA 2 and just experience it. but to do that, id have to fly PAL. if they were in NAIA 3, i might as well fly any airline that could get me there since id see the terminal any way.

But that only makes sense if NAIA2 were good enough to offer an entire PAL experience that is both complete and world class. Right now, NAIA2 is overburdened and overextended. And it's already PAL's. If they intend to expand as they will now that they are now leaving debt servicing, they will turn a currently terrible user experience at NAIA2 into a trully horrendous one. NAIA2 is not fit for international travel. PAL can still offer a unique PAL experience, whatever that means, at NAIA3. It's still home field for them so they will of course have a leg up on their competition.

I think it's better for PAL to stay in NAIA 2 to have it's own hub and be different. Much more if they design the Airport with modern-mixed Filipiniana style.

there are many arguments on the subject of where PAL should be when NAIA 3 opens. however, how can you blame then. if the future of PAL as a world class airline, it has to have something unique to offer its passengers. hence, its own terminal. it will be something unique to the passengers that distinguishes the PAL experience. i jusy believe that if PAL wants to take advantage of that excuse to stay where they are, they need to ensure that NAIA 2 is part of the total package. for me, ive always wanted to see NAIA 2 and just experience it. but to do that, id have to fly PAL. if they were in NAIA 3, i might as well fly any airline that could get me there since id see the terminal any way.

i agree. Just got to JFk last Dec. Each terminal was like dedicated somewhat to one airline. Like Terminal X was for United having Mexico, Continental flights, and South American Flights under one roof.

Before, I was for having all int'l flights to terminal 3 while all domestic at t2 para mas organized. But basta ayusin nila, and T2 appears and serves as a good hub, mukha wala naman problem.

Really is a tough solution, at least PAL is making it.

Hard solution- more talking and cash offerings. blah blah blah. We get more bored

Easy solution- Build Philippine Airlines Clark Terminal. You can add a Maglev Clark-Manila as well there. :D

and if clark is too far, then we can just reclaim land in Manila Bay, just like KIX and Chubu! :D

the state of our aviation is truly sad. At least it isn't rock-bottom, but it kinda gets annoying when all our neighbors have glitzy airports. Oh well, at least we have a ton of glitzy malls :D

I guess we will all have to wait and see if PAL's decision to have its international operations staying in T2 is really that good. My best guess would be that T2 does not have that much room for expansion, and T3 will offer better amenities.

i agree. Just got to JFk last Dec. Each terminal was like dedicated somewhat to one airline. Like Terminal X was for United having Mexico, Continental flights, and South American Flights under one roof.

Before, I was for having all int'l flights to terminal 3 while all domestic at t2 para mas organized. But basta ayusin nila, and T2 appears and serves as a good hub, mukha wala naman problem.


Yes you are correct. That is how it is in the airports of North America, each terminal is designated for a few specific airlines.

Space isn't in NAIA's side, I've seen photos of JFK, and I've been in LAX and Chicago O'Hare. I'd definately get lost there.

yeah i agree even here in the middle there one terminal dedicated to saudia and emirates and anothe for foreign airlines, but they are huge airport complex, riyadh airport is so huge its the biggest airport in the world. i guess since our traffic is not so huge ( as to dedicate the terminal 2 for pal use only) we can lump all international operating airlines under one roof and that will be in naia terminal 3

Monday, February 21 2005 @ 07:56 PM GMT
Lease contracts for NAIA 3 ready
http://news.balita.ph/html/public_html/article.php?story=20050221195622541

In a bid to speed up the opening of the controversial Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, the Manila International Airport Authority on Monday announced that it is ready to issue lease contracts for all concessionaires, including the 29-member Airline Operators Council (AOC).

Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza made the announcement before members of the AOC and the Board of Airline Representatives (BAR) in Villamor Air Base, Pasay City, over the weekend.

"This is actually historical as far as I am concerned. We also have the advisory from our legal counsel that we could sign the lease contracts," Mendoza said in a brief speech marking the start of a golf tournament participated in by officials of the MIAA, the transportation department, AOC and BAR.

The AOC had been asking from aviation authorities the lease contract, an official document that would guarantee the transfer of airport operations from NAIA 1 to NAIA 3 without the legal hassle posed by the objections of the Philippine International Air Terminal Co. (PIATCO).

All the 29 airline-members of the AOC had estimated that it would cost a total of P500 million to construct new airline offices, set up computer linkages and train personnel to transfer to the new location.

The airline executives wanted to protect their investment, hence the need for a document, such as a lease contract, according to an AOC official.

PIATCO led the consortium that won the contract to build NAIA 3.

Although the DOTC and the MIAA had taken physical control of NAIA 3 on December 21 on the strength of a writ of possession, issued by a Pasay City Regional Trial Court, the government has failed to produce a lease contract because of the temporary restraining order secured by PIATCO.

PIATCO told the court that a revised expropriation law provides for just compensation to the aggrieved party before a final takeover is consummated.

Mendoza allayed the fear of the AOC and BAR members that NAIA 3 may not be opened on time in June.

"There should be a known obligation from the government to see to it that you are protected. Both the MIAA and the DOTC have been advised by their respective legal counsels about the security of your investments," Mendoza said.

He added that the government is committed to open the NAIA 3 in June as promised by President Arroyo.

NAIA general manager Alfonso Cusi told the airline representatives that government officials are ready to sit down with them this week to discuss the terms of the lease contract."We will see to it that the MIAA and the government will not be a barrier and burden to your operations, and we shall find ways to make the transfer as smooth and efficient as possible," Cusi said.

Felix Cruz, Philippine Airlines vice president for sales and marketing and BAR chairman, said the members are happy to hear that the contracts are ready for review this week.

He added that the next step would be the allocation of space for all concessionaires, another tricky problem since PIATCO had already allocated most of the space for airlines and business companies two years ago, at the time when the consortium announced that the build-operate-transfer project was finished.

Yes you are correct. That is how it is in the airports of North America, each terminal is designated for a few specific airlines.

as much as that sounds good for NAIA, i dont think it will work in NAIA's case for one major reason. The terminals were simply not designed for that specification. T2 was really designed for purely domestic operations (hence the long lines in such confined conditions in the north wing, because international flights were not orginally supposed to be operated in T2). This is also the reason for the temporary immigration counters and the fact that two 747s cannot park together side by side.

The simple solution - Just use the terminals for its intended purpose...T3 as international (including PAL) and T2 as domestic.

Gov’t defends NAIA-3 expropriation
By Aurea Calica
The Philippine Star 02/23/2005

The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) maintained yesterday the government has the legal right to recruit airlines and other companies to open shop at Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s new terminal 3 (NAIA-3).

Philippine International Air Terminals Co. (Piatco), the company that built the facility, is contesting the government’s December takeover of the terminal.

In a written comment to the Supreme Court, the OSG said the writ of possession granted to the government by a Pasay City regional trial court gave them the legal right to exercise ownership of the facility, which the government wants to operate by June.

"The execution of such contracts as an incident of equitable/beneficial ownership falls within the right to use and enjoy as well as the right to appropriate the terminal, which rights were vested in petitioners (the government and its concerned agencies) the moment it was issued the writ of possession and allowed to enter" NAIA-3, the OSG stated in its reply.

"Significantly, the right to lease properties or execute service/concession contracts does not require the obligee (the government) to be the legal owner of the property leased out or being served."

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has been trying to get the airlines’ commitment to transfer their operations there from the old airport terminal, despite a Supreme Court temporary restraining order on the expropriation.

Piatco argues the government cannot run the terminal until compensation has been paid.

It warned airlines and other companies yesterday against opening shop at the new terminal while its court dispute with the government is still ongoing.

Piatco spokeswoman Liwayway Vinzons-Chato said they will notify the Airline Operators Council and the Board of Airline Representatives as well as other firms interested in doing business at the new Terminal 3 to remind them about the drawn-out legal battle.

"I am sure they don’t want to be caught in the middle. They will definitely be held liable if they sign a contract with the government before the expropriation process is completed," Chato told The STAR in a telephone interview.

In its comment to the Supreme Court yesterday, the OSG said non-payment of compensation does not divest the government of its right to exercise ownership of the terminal. "What Piatco retains until full payment of just compensation is the mere legal title to the terminal."

The legal title was only for the purpose of collecting just compensation due the owner and not recovering "beneficial ownership," the OSG explained.

Airlines are hesitant to move their operations from the old Ninoy Aquino terminal, fearful of spending millions of pesos to set up shop at the gleaming new facility, only to get caught in the middle of the ongoing legal dispute later.

Chato said the Supreme Court order does not mean the tribunal has junked the expropriation.

"We just want to remind the government that there will be a problem if they forge a contract with the airline companies without assuring Piatco of payment of just compensation," she said.

Judge Henrick Gingoyon allowed the government in December to take possession of the terminal on the condition that it would immediately give Piatco an initial down payment of $62 million. The court is still determining exactly how much Piatco should receive in compensation for losing the terminal.

But the government was barred from leasing any part or exercising ownership of the terminal until the expropriation case has been settled.

The terminal was completed in 2002 but its opening was delayed by a squabble between German airport developer Fraport and its major Filipino partner in Piatco, the Cheng family.

Fraport holds a 30-percent interest in Piatco but funded most of the project, investing over $300 million.

The facility was further delayed when President Arroyo abrogated Piatco’s contract to build and operate the terminal, claiming that one-sided provisions in favor of the consortium were inserted in the agreement after it was signed. — With Edu Punay

Monday, February 21 2005 @ 07:56 PM GMT
Lease contracts for NAIA 3 ready

...

Felix Cruz, Philippine Airlines vice president for sales and marketing and BAR chairman, said the members are happy to hear that the contracts are ready for review this week.

...

good news... right? I hope this is one step closer to NAIA-3 opening. but, umm... if PAL isn't moving, then why are their people involved? or maybe it could be just because he's BAR chairman...

but I have a feeling PAL will move. I dunno. maybe Lucio Tan is just trying to get a better offer from the gov't. or maybe they might not move right when T3 opens, but I'm sure, sooner or later, they're gonna realize that they will need NAIA-T3 to not only compete but also finally expand their operations. just like GreyX said, NAIA-T2 was not designed to accomodate PAL's hub. there really isn't too much room for expansion, and even if there is, it's obviously gonna cost more to fund that T2 extension than to just pay for more expensive fees at T3. then, in the long run, maybe five or so years later, after they expand T2 facilities, when PAL does grow a bit bigger, they're gonna find out they need even more space. but there won't be any more room to grow, and they're gonna find themselves having to move to NAIA-T3 anyways. so they end up building the T2 extension for nothing - or fine, a couple years of exclusive use. that plus the fact that they simply cannot offer first-class services at NAIA-T2 with the makeshift immigration booths and all.

personally, I just don't think it makes sense...

I have been frequenting this website for a few years now, and the opinions of passengers using NAIA is very disheartening. Here are some excerpts....

Click here for more: www.airlinequality.com


15 February 2005

The old terminal at NAIA is a disgrace. When we arrived from San Francisco after stop-overs in Seoul and Sigapore, my wife and I were very disappointed. The three previous airports are modern and clean while NAIA is old and crowded. Passage through the Immigration and Customs were a breeze though. The newer Terminal 2 is a lot better when we used it on our domestic flight several days after we arrived in the Philippines. On our return flight, we stayed in the Sampaguita Lounge inside NAIA and we should have avoided it. They charge $8 per passenger and the place lacks adequate air- conditioning, smoking is allowed inside, and the snacks are terrible. The staff is courteous and helpful though.

21 November 2004

The Manila Terminal II was said to be at par with international standards. Well, the terminal is a good one, with its design giving ample natural light during daytime. The departure section is good and the waiting areas are well kept and spacious. However, when sunshine peeps through the large glass windows, the waiting areas are a little bit hot and very annoying. I hope that the management can have some curtains or materials to block sunshine through these large window panels (where applicable). The restrooms are kept clean but the stores inside the terminal offers skyrocketing prices. At the Arrival area, the carts are small and dilapidated. The security at the vehicle entrance are very strict to the extent of blocking entry of FX Taxis, even if such taxis are used for personal one. My friend owns FX Taxi. He was to pick me up at the arrival gate, but was not allowed to enter. I had to walk out into the airport road. Too, bad an idea on the part of the management, the authorized taxi services and the security.

24 September 2004

Used the old NAIA airport again & coming into it when no flights land at the same time as I came from Riyadh was a breeze. Immigration 2 minutes no baggage & taxi within 5. So 10 minutes to get out of NAIA which must have been a one off! Going out to DMM was different as immigration as the last poster stated is awfully slow. At Check in area there not enough areas to sit. You are glad to leave this airport behind as its dark dingy & not at all inviting. The new T3 is now a white elephant & its even built on the wrong place because there is no LRT Link you have to use a car to get to the other T2 & Domestic airport & its an extra couple of kms in manilas crowded streets so if opened?? You will surely miss your connecting flights.

18 September 2004

I would say it is hopeless for the Ninoy Aquino International airport terminal 1 to have any improvement in the future. I have been living in Manila for the past 17 years, I traveled in and out thru terminal 1 once a year, I haven't noticed yet any major improvement. It's a total chaos at the arrival area, warm air-con, dirty old toilet. Yes, it's now free to use the luggage push cart at the arrival, (before you have to pay U$1, non-refundable, just to use the push cart). And the computerization at the immigration counter. But, it seems slow down the processing time, rather than speed up. Once I had a flight depart at 8am, I lined up at the queue at 705am, when it was already 755am, there were still 3 people in front of me. The old man at the counter took 2mins to clear one passenger. Good luck for me, the plane waited, and I was the last on board. That was three years ago. Two weeks ago, I arrived Manila at 10pm, with two other flights landed almost same time. It took me 40mins to clear immigration. I made a big mistake again to line at counter with old immigration officer. To advise fellow passengers coming to Manila, avoid OLD immigration officer behind counter at all cost. Although, there is a newer terminal 2, but still not good enough to compare with airports in neighbour countries, small, crowded, warm air-con, poor design (you have to walk down steep stairs at arrival, no escalator). One more shameful thing, they had built a completely new terminal 3, spent hundreds of millons U$, but due to corruption scams, it's opening is postponed indefinitely.[quote]

[quote]17 September 2004

The toilet facility for inbound passengers at the international airport near (passport validation) was a shocker for a first timer. There was no toilet paper, no flush and to top it all- no lid. I brought my family for the first time to visit the Philippines. My son had problem with loose bowel movement (LBM) because of the food he ate in the airplane. There was a long line for passport validation. He has to use the bathroom. Why not make it a western style toilet facility instead of filipino or a combination of both. Also is this a combine male/female bathroom? If this is a point of entry for all tourists and balikbayan why not improve the services I mentioned above? This was the nearest bathroom pointed out by a customs staff. Another complain was the warm temperature while waiting in line. I just told my kids that we were being acclimatize on what temperature once we got out of this building. There were three international flight arrival being processed during that time (About 11:00PM). I hope the next time we decided to visit again it will be a much improve international airport. thanks!

1 August 2004

I have used both International terminals at Manila. The new, PAL, terminal is modern, new and clean. The toilet attendants who do almost anything for you can be a bit annoying and especially so when they ask for a tip. The security at the airport is incredibly high starting at the perimeter gate all the way through to being scanned and frisked on entering the terminal as well as after checking in. My onl;y complaint at the new terminal is the low number of shops especially when compared to the old international terminal. The domestic PAL terminal is part of the same building as the international PAL terminal allowing the passenger a short stroll around to the other terminal. The taxi hawkers at you depart from the domestic terminal is quite daunting on first arrival but they provide the safest travel to the old international terminal. Trying to walk this route or even walking to the public road is a risky proposition for European travellers Arrival at MNL can be "tedious" as the lines at immigration are mostly long and move slowly. The officials I don't think ever smile or see the funny side in anything.

25 June 2004

I was lucky to use NAIA 2, the terminal for PAL (Philippine Airlines) flights, as I heard so much about NAIA 1. Negative points: I was not impressed by the very very slow passport control on arrival (45 mins!!), I was very annoyed at attempts by airport personnel (I assume they were cleaners) to "extract" money from me in the toilets in baggage reclaim. But I'm glad to say the positive outweigh the negative. Its a nice clean airy airport and the staff are helpful. I felt safe due to the large number of security inside and outside the building. A special mention goes out to the check-in staff who very kindly put me on an earlier Hong Kong flight than I'd already booked, otherwise I would have been stuck there for 8 hours. Although I have not used NAIA 1, I honestly think its worth booking just PAL to use Terminal 2 only and avoid the reported chaos you get at NAIA 1.

Most of the bad comments are from NAIA 1. That will change once the NAIA 3 become operational. Majority of the comments on NAIA 2 is positive. Once the NAIA 3 becomes operational let us all post our comments in that website but avoid spamming.

hahaha good idea nbcmandy! :D

but that website does pose the real need for the NAIA- 3 to open.. so that it will give a better impression of our country to others..

PAL moving to T3 would ease T2's capacity, it looks very overstretched for its size. meh politics and money. and yes that is a reasonable comment ncbmandy. quite true.

btw what's up with the T1 upgrades on their toilets? :D

I remember reading one of Philstar's Max Soliven's editorials from around the last Christmas season talking about a newly redone washroom at the arrivals area of NAIA-T1. I don't think they're through with all of them yet though...

anyways, umm... some news re: NAIA-T3. two German nationals from Piatco and possibly also Fraport have been issued warrants of arrest.

Sandigan orders arrest of PIATCO ‘consultant’
By RENE ACOSTA | TODAY Reporter | ABS-CBNNews.com

The First Division of the Sandiganbayan ordered on Wednesday the arrest of two Germans and a mysterious Filipino “consultant” in connection with a graft case filed against them over the construction of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

Warrants of arrest were issued against Hans Arthur Vogel, director of finance, and Bernd Struck, board chairman, of the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. (PIATCO); and Alfredo Liongson, who was widely speculated on as a conduit for payoffs but whose face no one had seen. The court set P30,000 each for their provisional liberty.

Vogel and Struck, who helped build the controversial airport along with Germany’s Fraport AG, were named codefendants in the graft charges filed by the Office of the Ombudsman against officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications.

Airport sources said, however, the two Germans had left the country in 2002 right after the government pronounced the NAIA 3 contracts—covering a $500-million, build-operate-transfer (BoT) project—as null and void.

They were not deported but left via normal channels, a source said. Dozens of German executives, including officials of Fraport AG, the German partner of PIATCO, had worked on the project.

It is also doubtful whether Alfredo Liongson would materialize as a defendant.

An official interviewed by TODAY two years ago, when the NAIA 3 project became highly controversial, said that “Liongson” is not a real person but only an “accounting principle” used to justify PIATCO’s being paid for every milestone achieved in the project’s construction.

The PIATCO official said that the accounting principle is legal and had been used by other construction firms as a reward for meeting the timetable and as an incentive for achieving construction in as short a time as possible.

Part of the savings that are accrued when a milestone is achieved ahead of schedule represents the consultant fee that “Liongson” gets, according to the source.

In issuing the arrest warrants, the Ombudsman said the officials put the government in a disadvantageous position because the contract, among others, calls for the government’s assumption of the firm’s liabilities in case of default.

It also obligated the government to pay PIATCO P180 million if the Pasig City Regional Trial Court nullifies the contract on the NAIA 3.

Instead of the government assuming the liabilities, it said that all the defendants should pay for the contracts.

The Ombudsman also said the officials allowed PIATCO to undertake the construction of the terminal under a BOT scheme even if it is not financially capable and not a qualified bidder.

Besides Vogel, Struck and Liongson, also named in the charges but who already posted bail were transportation official Vicente Rivera, Wilfredo Trinidad, Pantaleon Alvarez, Primitivo Cal, Francisco Atayde and PIATCO presidents Henry Go and Cheng Yong.

Meanwhile, Yong has asked the court to allow him to travel abroad and attend the annual meeting of the China International Trade Council of which he is a member. The meeting will be held in Malaysia from February 26 to 28.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and here are some of the onerous provisions that are included in the case against Piatco. I got them from an editorial...


....

How anomalous was the deal? According to the complaint:

1. At the time of the pre-bidding in 1996, Piatco (then PairCargo Consortium) had no capability to undertake the project. So, it was not a qualified bidder. Obviously, after getting the award, the Filipino owners of PairCargo invited Fraport, Japanese and Singaporean partners and formed Piatco, incorporating into it PairCargo. Is Fraport the major and controlling partner?

2. In 1998, the contract was amended to “provide that the government shall assume the liabilities of Piatco in the event of the latter’s default.” Why did DOTC agree to this amendment which is disadvantageous to the government?

3. DOTC allowed the insertion in the contract of a provision obliging the government to pay P180 million - to Piatco in the event the Pasig regional trial court nullified the construction contract of NAI 3. Why was the nullification anticipated? What prevailed upon DOTC to allow the insertion?

4. Under the original contract, Piatco was to build an access tunnel from NAIA 2 to NAIA 3. In 2001, the provision was modified to allow Piatco to construct an access road instead, at a much lesser cost. Was it Piatco alone which benefited from the “immense savings?”

By these four circumstances alone, Piatco and DOTC officials will sweat it out at the Sandiganbayan. Will the two Germans from Fraport be able to prove their innocence?

...

you guys can check out the whole thing here (http://www.mindanews.com/2005/02/16vws-diaz.html)...

it certainly looks like things were definitely wrong in that contract. but the DOTC officials during the time seem like they also deserve some of the blame...

....In other news....NAIA lends a helping hand:

Unexpected 'guests' at NAIA
By Nikko Dizon Inquirer News Service Feb 25, 2005

Heavy fog that made visibility a problem for aircraft caused nine flights all bound for Hong Kong to be diverted to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) yesterday morning.

"We were able to accommodate the flights and this did not cause any disruption in the operations at the Naia," Octavio Lina, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) assistant general manager for operations, told the Inquirer in a phone interview.

As of 6 p.m. yesterday, MIAA operations office said only the 156 passengers of Cathay Pacific flight CX 889 remained at NAIA. Flight CX 903 from Hong Kong, scheduled to arrive at 6:35 p.m. last night, was also delayed for almost an hour because of the flight diversions, according to the MIAA operations office.

Four other Cathay Pacific flights and Qantas Airways flight QF 083, carrying 205 passengers, had already left for Hong Kong by noon, Lina said. Because of the flight diversions, a total of 1,197 passengers had to spend several hours at NAIA until their flights were allowed to proceed to Hong Kong.

Apart from CX 889 and QF 083, other flights diverted to Manila were CX 138 with 146 passengers; CX 829 with 156 passengers; CX 748 with 267 passengers, and CX 260 with 257 passengers.

Cargo flights CX 051, CX 068 and Polar Air PO 285 were also among the flights diverted to Manila.

too bad naia 3 was not open it could have been a nice impression for those foreign tourists who had to stay at the airport for hours before their flights could return to hkg

Any data statistic for the new terminal?
like passenger movement for 1 yr and etc.

too bad naia 3 was not open it could have been a nice impression for those foreign tourists who had to stay at the airport for hours before their flights could return to hkg

I know!! The passengers of those flights didnt intend to go to Manila, and with the condition of our airport, they probably wont ever come back:D They could be saying to themselves "What is this place? I dont think i'll ever schedule to visit here again"...
but only for those who havent been to Manila before.

thats why its jst too bad that we dont have a world class terminal to show to these unexpected visitors and potential tourists, the terminal could have been a showcase of the philippines, our first impression to arriving foreigners

yeah, first impressions last.
at least man lang sana sa airport maimpress naman ang ibang dayuhan.
ive read several sites, some of their comments:

MANILA, Phillipines (Contributed by ........???ski)
"May 2004 (Centennial Terminal 2) - I had a connecting flight from Los Angeles to Cebu via Manila. Layover was only 3 hours. Philippine Airlines is the ONLY one that flies to NAIA Terminal 2 unfortunately... and damn this is a far cry from the old filty dirty stuffy hot terminal 1. Bathrooms were clean. Duty free is too small!!! The PAL Mabuhay lounge had comfty seats... a couple of burgers and refreshments and fruits. There was WIFI too..


MANILA, Philippines (Contributed by .......???ino)
"November 2000 - At Ninoy Aquino International Airport, you cannot get inside the terminal unless you have a flight ticket for that day. Everywhere everyone asks for bribes. Never offer them anything. Act as if you do not know what they are saying and just walk past them. These people do not get paid squat and just looking for extra pesos to provide for their families. Their economy is one of the worst in the world. Also if you try to get a taxi, do not accept any ticket that people will try to give to you before you get into a taxi because it basically means that you are willing to pay them extra money and that you are not familiar with their culture and can take you for however much money they want. The taxi drivers pay these people who are friends or relatives that give you tickets to ride with them. Another tip, do not ever accept any packages no matter how big or small from strangers. Filipinos always send packages abroad and the cheapest way to do so is through a passenger to the destination when the package is going. They do not have money to send these packages and they will beg you and even cry to you so that you will take them for them. They always say that it is just food or clothes but chances are that they are stolen pirated VCD's being sent to their families abroad and having them send them the cash to get more and send more." Added December 27, 2004

hope that everythings gonna change once naia3 be opened.
nyayks! baka maabutan pa ang naia3 ng new bangkok airport.
wag naman sana.

more (http://www.sleepinginairports.net/asia/manila.htm)

wow..that last one was brutal. Its overly exaggerated, our economy is not "one of the worst in the world". Obviously, that person hasnt been around that much...or doesnt have more knowledge of the world. Oh well, thats what one person thinks, we cant do much about it...hopefully what he said didnt influence others. The airport really does say a lot about the country:D

i hope with the new international terminal 3 opening this june, there will be some nice comfortable area for transit passengers wishing to rest, sleep and freshen up while waiting for there connecting flights

sleepinginairports.net (http://www.sleepinginairports.net/asia/manila.htm) comments are pretty harsh on naia. average rating is 2/5

Any data statistic for the new terminal?
like passenger movement for 1 yr and etc.

Naia-3's passenger movement? That's easy: 0 :D it's not even open yet, although its been more or less complete for a few years

sleepinginairports.net (http://www.sleepinginairports.net/asia/manila.htm) comments are pretty harsh on naia. average rating is 2/5

what do you expect? I'd give NAIA 6.5/10, perhaps 5.5/10 because NAIA3 is there for to move, and in the many times I've flown to and from Manila, nothing has happened.

http://www.inq7.net/globalnation/sec_new/2005/feb/26-01.htm

AIRLINE companies will not be able to meet the June 21 scheduled opening of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport's (NAIA's) Terminal 3 because of time constraints, according to Leoncio Nakpil, chair of the Airline Operators' Council (AOC).

Nakpil said the airlines would need six months to make the transfer from the old Terminal 1, as they would need this much time to construct their offices and their passenger lounges, and to set up their computer systems, among others.

He said the AOC and the Board of Airline Representatives (BAR) have informed Alfonso Cusi, general manager of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), by letter that the airlines would not make the deadline.

The AOC represents officials from 29 airline companies and seven ground handlers, while the BAR is made up of airline country managers.

Nakpil said the construction of an airline office is a lot more complicated than that of an ordinary office space, mainly because of the network of computer systems that have to be installed to ensure the airline's smooth operations.

"We are still supporting the MIAA on the opening of the new terminal. The MIAA is bent on opening NAIA 3 in June. But it's like opening a door of a house without the door. How can you open an airport without the airlines?" he said.

Nakpil said the six-month lead time that the airlines need would begin upon the signing of the final concessionaire lease contract with the MIAA.

But he said the airline companies have yet to receive a copy of the draft contract despite the announcement that Cusi and Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza made on Feb. 18 that the contracts would be made available that week.

Mendoza earlier said that the Office of the Solicitor General had given the go-signal for the MIAA to issue the airline companies their lease contracts.

The government announced that the controversial airport terminal would open for operation on June 21 after it expropriated the facility from builder Philippine Air Terminals Co. (PIATCo) last December.

Legal cases over NAIA 3 are pending before the Supreme Court and two international arbitration courts.

The AOC earlier said it would take from three weeks to a month to have a final contract approved.

Nakpil said the draft contract has to go to the airline company's headquarters abroad for review and comments before being sent back to the Philippines. Then the MIAA has to approve and prepare the final revised copy, before the company and the MIAA sign the contract.

AOC members waited last Wednesday for the MIAA to release the draft contracts but were informed by Judith Dolot of the MIAA public affairs office that the draft had been sent to the OSG for review and revisions.

In late January, the AOC expressed apprehension over the rush in the opening of the NAIA 3, saying that the tight deadline being given the airline companies could compromise security, safety and the standard of service.

The AOC said the rushed deadline could even expose the airline companies to lawsuits from passengers.

--------------------------
on a sidenote, we don't seem the only one having delays...
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/26Feb2005_news04.php

Airports of Thailand admitted for the first time yesterday that Suvarnabhumi Airport will open six months after its originally scheduled opening date of Sept 29.
AoT chairman Srisook Chandrangsu said the delay to March next year is aimed at ensuring the safety of airline passengers. The delay will be spent test-running systems being installed at the new Bangkok international airport, he said.
But he dismissed a notion that the delay was forced by construction problems, saying most construction was only slightly behind schedule and workers would be able to finish projects on time...
--------------------------

very brave of AOT to admit the delays... not for construction issues, but for test runs and safety checks... on the other hand, opening of the NAIA-3 now seems heavily dependent on airliners' capability to move into the new terminal in record time (i.e. construction of their offices and networks)... albeit it seems MIAA don't have a clear stand of testing and safety checks of the system at NAIA3... I for one can accept to delay further the opening of NAIA 3 so that everything is in their proper place on opening day, whenever that may be...

yeah opening an airport terminal is not an easy task, u have to ensure eveyone is on board (operator, airport authority, airlines, concessioners, government and private employees) all system go before u can say that the whole structure is safe, secure and will serve efficiently and effective the flying passengers

meh... 6 months from now is around August-September 05. Better than August-September 06.

you know what, All I've seen from them is just mumbling and grumbling. No work ahs even started and they complain they can't meet the deadline. Why don't they move their big butts and start building... extensions of deadlines can be done later.

^ true.. and we became helpless waiting for it to finally open. Just hope i can utilize that airport on my travel next year..

I think the MIAA is doing something - although maybe not to the full extent - to ensure the safety and security of passengers and workers that might use the NAIA-T3. they are making an inventory of everything that has been built. I'm sure they will test the integrity of the structure since that is probably a major part of the legal cases against PIATCO. I read the other day about them testing this fuel distribution facility. I think it's this thing that will deliver jet fuel directly from the fuel farm to the parked planes. I don't think they've done other major testing though since they are still trying to acquire the blueprints and manuals for all the machines and equiment from the Japanese contractor...

you know what, All I've seen from them is just mumbling and grumbling. No work ahs even started and they complain they can't meet the deadline. Why don't they move their big butts and start building... extensions of deadlines can be done later.
Think of it if you are the airline. The government is telling you to move in. They provide no contracts, drafts of contracts , or even legal proof they even own the airport, they know that the governement changes it's position depending on who is in charge and what money changes hands. This is just the beginning of the legal issues an airline will have to deal with. Consider that most of these airlines are foreign and they've just seen a foreign company invest US$350,000,000 build an airport and then be told they are to be charged CRIMINALY because they should not have been qualified because they have no money to build it, inspite of the obvious fact that the airport is already built! That the agreed upon measures that they will use to mediate disputes (foreign arbitration) has been unilaterally discarded. That one of the most influential countries is exerting diplomatic pressure on your own country to not let the Philippine Government just takeover the airport follow it's own agreement regarding how to resolve disputes.

Now try asking money from your headoffice in a faraway land, that you need US$100,000 to US$1,000,000 to do this. Good Luck.

NAIA-3 to open in June even if not all airlines transfer
The Philippine Star 03/01/2005

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) will still open in June — whether or not all airline companies transfer to the new terminal by then.

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Alfonso Cusi said this in a press statement yesterday afternoon after some airline companies admitted they would not be able to meet the June transfer deadline.

"We completely understand (the airlines’ predicament)," Cusi said. "They have to make a request for the budget."

While some airlines will not be able to make the move to the new terminal by June, other airline companies said they could make the deadline.

Cusi said the MIAA would still follow its timetable because "it’s our work to make the terminal available. The terminal has to be ready for operations."

The government, he said, is committed to opening NAIA Terminal 3 to the public at the earliest possible time – June.

"We respect the legal concerns (of the airlines concerned)," he added. "Our point is to make (the terminal) operational by June. We are double-checking the space allocations with the (MIAA’s) Project Management Office (PMO)."

He said airlines could already enter the terminal to begin building offices and lounges.

The government hopes to open the mothballed facility in June after taking over the terminal from Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. (Piatco), the consortium that built the new terminal.

Piatco has warned that it would take legal action against airlines and other companies that set up shop there while its dispute with the government is still ongoing.

However, the Airline Operators Council, said they won’t be ready for the June opening because there is not enough time for them to transfer their operations from the old airport terminal. The airline association is composed of 29 carriers and seven ground handling companies.

The new terminal was completed in 2002 but its opening was delayed by a squabble between German airport developer Fraport AG and its major Filipino partner in Piatco.

The facility was further delayed that year when President Arroyo abrogated Piatco’s contract for the terminal, citing anomalies.

In 2003, the Supreme Court nullified the contract, saying Piatco was not qualified to bid for it and that one-sided provisions in its favor were inserted after the contract was signed.

Last December a Pasay City regional trial court allowed the government to take over the facility but barred it from "performing acts of ownership." It also ordered the government to pay Piatco an initial $62.3 million as compensation while the final settlement is being determined. The government is contesting the court order before the Supreme Court.

I'm glad to here that. It's been idle for two long years now. Not only time and money have been wasted but the Pinoy's right to a decent airport. Kasama na dun ang dignidad natin.

They're all full of crap

NAIA-3 to open in June even if not all airlines transfer
The Philippine Star 03/01/2005


In 2003, the Supreme Court nullified the contract, saying Piatco was not qualified to bid for it and that one-sided provisions in its favor were inserted after the contract was signed.

ganoon??!! ininsert lang pala yung mga lopsided provisions??!! how grave!!

That sounds nice, determined to open it. Though an airline-less airport is basically as good as closed..... But there are some airlines that want, or are able to move. Good on them, good on NAIA, good for all of us:happy:

I wonder which airlines will move first.

MANILA, Philippines (Contributed by .......???ino)
"November 2000 - At Ninoy Aquino International Airport, you cannot get inside the terminal unless you have a flight ticket for that day. Everywhere everyone asks for bribes. Never offer them anything. Act as if you do not know what they are saying and just walk past them. These people do not get paid squat and just looking for extra pesos to provide for their families. Their economy is one of the worst in the world. Also if you try to get a taxi, do not accept any ticket that people will try to give to you before you get into a taxi because it basically means that you are willing to pay them extra money and that you are not familiar with their culture and can take you for however much money they want. The taxi drivers pay these people who are friends or relatives that give you tickets to ride with them. Another tip, do not ever accept any packages no matter how big or small from strangers. Filipinos always send packages abroad and the cheapest way to do so is through a passenger to the destination when the package is going. They do not have money to send these packages and they will beg you and even cry to you so that you will take them for them. They always say that it is just food or clothes but chances are that they are stolen pirated VCD's being sent to their families abroad and having them send them the cash to get more and send more." Added December 27, 2004

more (http://www.sleepinginairports.net/asia/manila.htm)

THe one who wrote this is a Filipino for God's sake. :bash:
A Filipino's worst enemy is a fellow Filipino.
I hope this will change. OPEN NAIA-3....

THe one who wrote this is a Filipino for God's sake. :bash:
A Filipino's worst enemy is a fellow Filipino.
I hope this will change. OPEN NAIA-3....

I dont think that he is a real filipino. Maybe the one who posted it is foreign national who is anti-filipino. He just want to discredit the airport and the filipino nationals. If he is sincere in that comment he would put his name.

Its good that they are still determined to open it in June even if not all airlines can make the transfer deadline.

I hope Singapore Airlines is one of the first airlines to move...then there is a high chance i will use that terminal:D

Did I tell you before that the terminal will be open on June 2005 come what may. The government is really determined to open the terminal come what may. Pres. Gloria will going to use the airport on June 2005 when she is going for a state visit in Germany...how ironic. i wander how the german will react on that...he he he.

I heard in the news that the German-Fraport is also having a problem in their home town, Even german politician don't like them. I doubt if they are going to win the case in International Court.

I thought it was for a visit to Indonesia? Her press secretary said that she will not use it for her trip to Germany. Oh well, it doesnt matter...very ironic if she does use it for her trip to Germany. Or it could be a PR move.

Definitely it could be a P.R. The most important thing is we will be having a new stolen ultra modern terminal airport...technically it is stolen since the government is not yet paying the consortium for the compensation of the terminal. I hope the government can persuade Takenaka to work in their side.

Power outage cripples NAIA 3
By Recto Mercene TODAY Reporter

A massive power failure since Saturday had left the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA 3) idle thus compounding the delays of its proposed opening on June 21. Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) belied reports that the power outage was due to its failure to pay the MERALCO bills.

MIAA general manager Alfonso Cusi and Elpidio Mendoza, assistant manager for engineering, were not available for comment since both of them are in Nagoya, Japan, joining a group that attended the Philippine Airlines inaugural flight there.

However, MIAA public affairs office issued a statement saying that it has not received any notice of disconnection from MERALCO. “While MIAA has taken possession of Terminal 3 last December 21, 2004, MERALCO has yet to formally transfer Terminal 3 account from PIATCO to MIAA.”

According to MIAA’s engineering department, “the power failure was caused by ground faults at the existing cable lines.” MIAA added that the problem is now being addressed and restoration of power supply is expected shortly.

Needless to say, the absence of electricity posed hazards to flights operating at NAIA 1 because it has affected various components that are mandatory for the safe flight operations at the premier airport.

Philippine International Air Terminal Co. sources say that without electricity, the red obstruction lights situated on top of the terminal would not be working, including the building’s fire detection system and other “hazard” lights.

“All of NAIA 3s equipment would be affected by the absence of electricity,” a PIATCO source said, adding that they are no longer in a position to intervene because the MIAA had taken possession of the entire terminal and the surrounding areas such as the taxiways.

PIATCO claim that they used to spend about P500,000 a year in electric bills for the terminal’s upkeep. Even after close to three year’s that the terminal had been ordered closed, the PIATCO was able to maintain NAIA 3s tip-top condition by religiously paying its electric bills and employing about 70 persons to maintain the equipment in pristine condition.

Airport insiders said it is possible that MIAA personnel had accidentally cut off the power lines while trying to operate the NAIA to make the NAIA 3 operational in June. The personnel are practically groping in the dark trying to make NAIA 3 work in the absence of a blue-print that are in the hands of the Japanese building contractor, Takenaka.

However, it appears that Takenaka did not agree to the plan because of PIATCO’s threats to file court cases to any of its partners who would sign a separate contract with the MIAA. In this connection, the MIAA had reportedly hired Takenaka for a fee, to find out the cause of the electrical disconnection.

Takenaka has reportedly agreed to undertake the procedure and had subcontracted another Japanese firm, Dai-dan to find out ways to make the electrical juice flowing into NAIA 3 again.

Definitely it could be a P.R. The most important thing is we will be having a new stolen ultra modern terminal airport...technically it is stolen since the government is not yet paying the consortium for the compensation of the terminal. I hope the government can persuade Takenaka to work in their side.

not really stolen but legally forcibly taken

Doesn't NAIA 3 have its own sources of electricity should it be needed? :? Sucks if it doesn't. We're talking about an important building here.

It should... national security issue. It should be able to operate off the main grid for a considerable amount of time.

sabotage

Naia 3 has a backup powerplant specifically for power failures, and this is to operate the whole facility , airconditioning included. I'm sure they're not using it as there really is no great need for the moment, it's primarily for security which can be addressed with other measures for the moment while the root problem is being fixed.

sabotage

wow that really is so shocking and new :sly:

Regardless, I actually see these as positive things, well at least positive things will arise from these. Better now than whenever its opened (which news say its halfway this year)

Most ironically the title says "cripples" when there's nothing to cripple in NAIA3, itself is crippled, yet to rise back from the ashes.

Most ironically the title says "cripples" when there's nothing to cripple in NAIA3, itself is crippled, yet to rise back from the ashes.

Ahh! The eternal optimist! :) More people should be like you Renell!

Renell, that's like saying you can't kill a dead man twice.

Hey if you can't kill the man twice, poke it! :poke:

Sorry but it seems I'm losing my sanity over this... :crazy: