Piatco retakes T3, evicts airport concessionaires By Conrado Ching 10/26/2010

Piatco retakes T3, evicts airport concessionaires

By Conrado Ching 10/26/2010

The Philippine International Airport Terminals Co. (Piatco), which was claimed to have lost arbitration cases in international courts against the government expropriation of its contract for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3, but won its case against the government on the compensation issue, has retaken ownership of the terminal right under the government’s nose as it issued yesterday eviction notices on concessionaires of the terminal citing a past Supreme Court order.

Piatco’s lawyers have questioned the concessionaires contract saying the writ of possession issued in 2006 did not transfer ownership of the facilities to the government. “The right to exercise acts of ownership remains with Piatco until ownership is transferred to the government upon payment of just compensation,” Piatco counsels Delfin Manuel Jr. and Cirilo Doronila of the Quasha Ancheta Peña and Nolasco law firm told the concessionaires.

Piatco said it remains the rightful owner of the terminal and that the concessionaires have been illegally occupying spaces at Terminal 3.

Piatco, the builder of NAIA 3, sent out eviction notices on Friday to businesses operating inside the controversial terminal,citing a Supreme Court decision prohibiting the government from exercising ownership of the terminal and leasing it out for operations..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune
  
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101026hed3.html