Billionaire Dennis Uy, who sits as chair of logistics company 2Go, has agreed to waive P35 million in rental fees “offered” by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for the use of two of the company’s vessels to quarantine returning overseas Filipino workers and seafarers over fears of them being carriers of the new coronarvirus disease (COVID-19).
This was after Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade admitted on Wednesday that the government was merely renting the two 2Go vessels “at a discounted rate.”
In a statement, Uy said he took heed of netizens’ comments questioning why 2Go was char-ging for the use of the vessels when other private firms have freely offered their services to help fight the pandemic that has killed nearly 500 in the country.
‘Actual cost’
“To set the record straight, the actual cost of operating the two vessels as quarantine facilities is P260 million,” Uy said.
“But this was intended to be a donation. The P35 million was an offer made by the DOTr, of which we had no plans of accepting,” he added.
The DOTr, however, said that both the government and 2Go entered into “negotiations” to lower the rental fees initially set at around P120 million.
“No actual payment of rent has been made by the government to 2GO Group Inc. as it was Secretary Tugade’s intention to talk with the principal of 2Go to ask for concessions. Until that happens, and up to now, no payment has been made,” Assistant Transport Secretary Goddes Libiran said.
Uy said he gave “explicit instructions to waive the P35 million expected payment” and, “if necessary, make good the said amount out of [his] own funds to cover the expected expenses to operate the ships.”
Uy apologized “if the news has unduly offended some of our fellow Filipinos,” and made clear that “[even] if the government offers to pay the P35 million, we in 2Go, in good conscience, have no intention of accepting the offer.”