Questions for airport proposal
The recent interest shown by SM owner Hans Sy in buying the land occupied by the Mactan Cebu International Airport is indeed welcomed, but airport general manager Paul Villarete is correct in saying that the possible sale of the prime property requires serious study and review.
We’re talking about the proposed relocation of an international airport, a government facility that is serving the transport needs not only of Cebuanos but Filipinos, and foreign travelers.The proposal would require a lot of changes that will affect many lives.
Some questions need to be asked. Is the Mactan Cebu International Airport really for sale? Who is selling the airport property?
How does the board of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority consider this unsolicited offer?
Was a study done regarding the feasibility of the transfer of the airport? Who gave the idea to Hans Sy that the airport is for sale? Who is brokering the purchase?
I think the present location of the Mactan airport is ideal and still has space for expansion especially for another runway and terminal.
In fact rehabilitation and expansion for another runway is in the pipeline. I think we should be careful about entertaining offers any thought of selling prime government land for business ventures.
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Now that the Regional Trial Court of Pasay City has decided to have former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo detained in the Veteran’s Memorial Medical Center, her lawyers are not happy. They want their client to remain in a private hospital and object to the court’s policy of no computer and no cell phone use, since GMA is still given the presumption of innocence, unless proven otherwise by a competent court.
With her stature as a congresswoman and former president, I still think a government hospital arrest is justifiable. Like others who are accused and charged of a crime, she should be accorded the necessary respect of a former head of government.
However, the no-laptop and no-cellphone- use rule is something that should be reviewed by the court. I don’t see any harm in allowing GMA to use these communication devices although I think the policy was made in order not to provide VIP treatment.
On the story that GMA’s camp is objecting to a hospital detention because there is a plan to kill her sounds like a big joke that nobody is taking seriously.
It’s a ploy of the Arroyo camp to justify keeping her in St. Luke’s Medical Center. I think the Arroyo camp should be more circumspect because statements from their camp are now being viewed with skepticism.
The Arroyos have practically lost their credibility. Many Filipinos sadly learned their lesson and view any statement from the Arroyos with a grain of salt.
Funny but it’s true that her arrest did not provoke mass protests or stir the public to go on the street in support of Arroyo unlike the time of the arrest of Erap Estrada.
I think GMA, despite her lengthy presidency, is very unpopular among Filipinos due to many policies and decisions that did not sit well with the people.
