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.