Court of Appeals junks Piatco’s appeal to reverse ruling

The Court of Appeals has denied for lack of merit the appeal of the builder of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 questioning its previous decision, which upheld the orders of a London court directing it to pay $172 million to its two Japanese contractors.

In a 32-page order, the appellate court said the Philippine International Air Terminals Company Inc. (Piatco) failed to present new evidence to warrant a reversal of the resolution it issued on March 13.

“(Piatco’s) motion for reconsideration raises issues which we have already considered and definitively resolved… We find nothing substantially new or compellingly persuasive to justify a reversal or even a modification of our ruling,” the court said.

In its previous order, the appeals court affirmed the two separate rulings of the Queen’s Bench Division in London, which ordered Piatco to pay over $36 million to Takenaka Corp. and about $130 million to Asahikosan Corp. in 2005.

The appellate court also directed the Piatco to pay Takenaka and Asahikosan P2 million in lawyer’s fees and P77.8 million in litigation expenses.

Piatco hired the services of the Japanese engineering firms for the construction of the previously mothballed Naia 3.

The appellate court also sustained the decision of Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 143 Judge Zenaida T. Galapate-Laguilles.