CLARK FREEPORT – This province’s 1st district Rep. Carmelo Lazatin appealed yesterday to Pres. Aquino to reconsider a new appointee to the state-owned Clark International Airport Corp. board to avoid “conflict of interest” in the delayed completion of the P308-million expansion of the airport terminal here.
Lazatin said that while he welcomed the new appointees to the CIAC which runs the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), he is objecting to the appointment of Rommel Bondoc to the CIAC board.
He identified Bondoc as an official of the AG Araja which was awarded the contract for the P308-million expansion project for the DMIA terminal.
“His appointment would involve conflict of interest,” Lazatin said, as he noted that he had earlier accused CIAC officials of “overly favoring” AG Araja in the project.
Lazatin said CIAC had failed to penalize AG Araja for delays in the completion of the project which became partially operational only last month despite overshooting the deadline way back in June last year.
“Performance bonds are part of projects entered into by the government with private firms. In the case of DMIA expansion project, the bond should have forfeited a long time ago since there were several delays of its completion and, after all this time, it remained inutile,” said Lazatin.
The DMIA terminal expansion project is expected to increase to 2 million the yearly passengers at the airport.
Lazatin recalled that the project was initially slated for inauguration even earlier on the birthday of then Pres. Arroyo on April 5 last year, but this was postpone to June.
He had also earlier filed House Bill Resolution No. 441 initiating a congressional inquiry on the reported “rigged bidding” of the expansion project, as he accused CIAC officials of “tailor fitting the terms of reference (TOR)” for the project bidding in favor of AG Araja.
CIAC officials, however, denied the allegations and said AG Araja could not be penalized as the cost of the delays in the project did not exceed 10 percent of the total project cost as provided in the TOR.
Lazatin said that while he welcomed the new appointees to the CIAC which runs the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), he is objecting to the appointment of Rommel Bondoc to the CIAC board.
He identified Bondoc as an official of the AG Araja which was awarded the contract for the P308-million expansion project for the DMIA terminal.
“His appointment would involve conflict of interest,” Lazatin said, as he noted that he had earlier accused CIAC officials of “overly favoring” AG Araja in the project.
Lazatin said CIAC had failed to penalize AG Araja for delays in the completion of the project which became partially operational only last month despite overshooting the deadline way back in June last year.
“Performance bonds are part of projects entered into by the government with private firms. In the case of DMIA expansion project, the bond should have forfeited a long time ago since there were several delays of its completion and, after all this time, it remained inutile,” said Lazatin.
The DMIA terminal expansion project is expected to increase to 2 million the yearly passengers at the airport.
Lazatin recalled that the project was initially slated for inauguration even earlier on the birthday of then Pres. Arroyo on April 5 last year, but this was postpone to June.
He had also earlier filed House Bill Resolution No. 441 initiating a congressional inquiry on the reported “rigged bidding” of the expansion project, as he accused CIAC officials of “tailor fitting the terms of reference (TOR)” for the project bidding in favor of AG Araja.
CIAC officials, however, denied the allegations and said AG Araja could not be penalized as the cost of the delays in the project did not exceed 10 percent of the total project cost as provided in the TOR.
