ANGELES CITY – Officials of the advocacy group Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) have aired their sus-picions on the reported plan to build a P12-billion budget terminal at the Clark International Airport here saying the project is merely a “conspiracy” that could involve top ranking Cabinet officials.
PGKM Chair Ruperto Cruz was reacting to announcements made by Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas, who said the government is planning to build a P12-billion budget terminal at the Clark International Airport here.
Reading the speech of President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III for the launching flights of Philippines AirAsia to Davao and Kalibo, Roxas said Mr. Aquino “will support plans to set up a P12 Billion Budget Terminal and other infrastructure projects due to the growth of passengers as well as the entry of new low cost carriers at Clark Airport.”
But Cruz noted that the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) President and Chief Executive Officer Victor Jose I. Luciano has not even maximized the use of the more than P300-million passenger terminal, “So why is the government willing to spend another P12 billion worth of taxpayers’ money for what we see as a redundant task.”
“If the newly-built passenger terminal is consistently underused, what’s the point of improving it if it is not being utilized to its full potentials?”
“We suspect another conspiracy here. And these pronouncements from the government do seem to give credence to rumors that Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas is eyeing the presidency in the 2016 polls,” said Cruz as he raised suspicions that the funds might be used for politicking instead of their supposed purpose.
The PGKM chair also underscored Luciano’s acquisition of a P1-billion loan with the Land Bank of the Philippines, which will be used for the expansion of the Phase II of the passenger terminal to meet the demands of passenger growth due to the increase of international and domestic flights this year.
“Time and again, the PGKM has advocated the full development of the Clark airport. There have been other sound proposals from other trustworthy and legitimate companies so why is Sec. Roxas turning a blind eye,” said Cruz.
Cruz said the government should, instead, “strongly consider” the proposal of business magnate Manny V. Pangilinan, which he described as the “ideal investor” since his proposal that is similar to that of Roxas’s projects, “contains the total package.”
According to Cruz, Pangilinan’s development plans for the Clark airport includes a railway project that will traverse the middle section of the North Luzon Expressway.
Cruz said Pangilinan’s proposal “has the holistic approach to the development of the Clark airport.” He also lauded Pangilinan as a Kapampangan, “who possesses a reputation of investing in successful business ventures.”
