GMR-Megawide: Proving its worth

The world’s only resort-airport in the resort city of Lapulapu is finally completed. No less than President Duterte commended the timely completion of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) Terminal 2. To think that this ?17.5 billion project was originally conceptualized under the government’s public private partnership (PPP) by the previous administration and completed in the present leadership made it more special.

Expected to be operational on July 1, 2018, this expansion expected to triple the current number of passengers MCIA is attending to. In fact, it can be more than that as the new terminal is already a tourist attraction in itself. That is probably why President Duterte himself was “extra proud to be a citizen in this country” as he toured around the facility.

Indeed, so much accolade were poured on GMR-Megawide for the timely completion of the MCIA Terminal 2 project. Not only that, it earned immeasurable praises for its world-class design being the only resort airport in the entire world. Consequently, several airline companies both here and abroad have already signified their intentions to mount flights from Cebu to lucrative points all over the world.

Notably, however, President Duterte singled out the fact that completing a project like this may take proponents a 100 years to complete. So true, indeed. Why? Because, as he pointed out, in undertaking projects of this magnitude “you will run afoul with so many cases and injunctions”. So that, for GMR-Megawide, these praises are worth more than the price of a truckload of gold.

To recall, even on the day before the project was awarded to GMR-Megawide, then Sen. Serge Osmeña questioned the deal before the Supreme Court. Then, as expected, the Filinvest Group, the second highest bidder, protested the outcome of the bidding. In a letter they sent on January 2, 2014, they questioned the selection of GMR – Megawide Consortium as the highest project bidder due to a “conflict of interest.” Then, Filinvest Development Corp., thru its EVP and COO, Mr. Eleuterio Coronel, said that “we are hoping that they will abide by the rules and if they follow the rules, they will recognize the validity of the issues we are raising.”

Then, on November, 2014, before the officers and employees of GMR-Megawide can warm their seats on their takeover, a new petition was filed by a group of businessmen before the Supreme Court seeking to stop GMR-Megawide from “taking over, rehabilitating and expanding the airport.” The group, named Business for Progress Movement, led by its president Medardo Deacosta Jr., asked the High Court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against GMRMegawide. In their petition, they alleged that GMR-Megawide “has no financial capacity to undertake the rehabilitation and expansion of the Cebu airport.”

As we often say, the rest is history, as today, GMR-Megawide has proven its worth. In fact, as we speak, GMR-Megawide has submitted a P208-billion proposal to build a second runway and a third passenger terminal in MCIA. That really speaks volume about this proponent’s then supposed financial incapacity to undertake the newly completed Terminal 2 project.

We, Cebuanos in Cebu City, have something to learn from this. To recall, there was a sale of lots at the South Road Properties (SRP) during then Mayor Mike Rama’s incumbency. Just because it was sealed during former Mayor Mike Rama’s time, Mayor Tomas Osmeña refused to recognize it. As a result, some significant projects at the SRP were frozen. Among those are projects (by one of the buyers of the lots) that could have generated employment during construction alone. Apart from that, these could not have just generated employment when already operational but must have attracted potential investors and tourists as an exhibition center and a concert/sports arena for trade exhibitions and concerts/sports spectacles, respectively, should have been built.

Indeed, in the GMR-Megawide case, it was quite sad that a politician a.k.a. lawmaker then and a cause-oriented group had joined the fray. Well, supposedly, in aid of legislation and, probably, because it was in line with their advocacy, respectively. In the SRP lots sale, the incumbent mayor’s take was that it was illegitimate. Now, the question is, were they really getting involved in these controversies on their own volition and conviction? Or are they making some noise because another bidder then (MCIA) or other interested buyers (SRP), respectively, prodded them to do so? Whatever is true, we don’t know and we will never know. One thing is certain though, politicians/lawmakers and cause-oriented groups will not get involve for nothing. Customarily, they shall dip their hands into something either for publicity or for something fishy.