What subplots are at play in the rush to the “phased” opening of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia 3) next month, when the concerns that the two structural engineers the Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) hired to have a look-see at the mothballed terminal have not yet been satisfactorily addressed? The two foreign consultants, Ove Arup and TGCI Engineers, have earlier found out the structural defects in the Naia 3 that were uncovered following the collapse of a ceiling because of the vibrations of the air-conditioning unit.

And to think that veteran airport reporter Recto Mercene wrote late last year about the warning aired by the structural engineers that the Naia 3 terminal faces the prospects of collapse should an intensity-6 earthquake rock the building. The fact that it is probable that such a strong earthquake could hit the place should be reason enough for the authorities not to rush the partial opening of the mothballed building. Prudence dictates that the structural defects be corrected first before the traveling public is exposed to such hazards.

First off, the government should first assure the public that the findings of  Ove Arup and TGCI have been properly addressed before any partial opening is made. The fact that there has been no such assurance means that there is something amiss. On matters of safety, especially in the field of aviation, the government cannot afford to have a public-relations disaster, lest its tourism efforts suffer.

Should any of the parts of the building cave in after the partial opening, the country’s image abroad could be affected. Not only that, even the aggressive wooing for tourists would suffer inconsiderably. Thus, it is but prudent for the Miaa to seriously consider the safety factors of the Naia 3 before it allows the traveling public to use the facility even on a partial basis. The confirmed structural defects in the Naia 3 remain unaddressed.

While there were news reports that the Miaa had ordered the repair of the terminal, no certification of structural soundness, much less any official report on the structural integrity of the building, has been issued so far to ensure the safety of the passengers, employees and aircraft. Why the rash judgment on the partial opening of the still-to-be-certified-as-sound terminal? Why the rush? And to think that the government has been sounding off about the opening of the terminal and then delaying the same due to a collapsed ceiling and findings of structural defects, among other things.

In March last year, TGCI Engineers Inc. and Ove Arup & Partners HK Ltd. recommended to the Miaa the postponement of the scheduled opening of the terminal due to findings of structural flaws. With the recent intensity-6 earthquake in China, the government can ill-afford such catastrophe to hit. It must be noted here that it was the Miaa that contracted the engineering firms to conduct structural evaluation of the building shortly after a big portion of the ceiling fell off following the government takeover of the terminal from the Philippine International Air Transport Corp. (Piatco).

The findings and corresponding recommendations of the engineering firms confirmed the assertions made earlier by internationally recognized experts on fraud, aviation and construction, who testified for the Philippines before the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), saying the terminal was defective and substandard. In its legal filing, the Philippine legal panel submitted the statement of aviation and construction expert Richard Klenk to the Washington-based ICSID revealing structural defects of the Naia 3 due to the use of inferior materials and poor building methods.

Malaysian donates prize

Amid the economic crisis in the region, it is heartwarming to know that a Malaysian architect, who won a design contest of a joint government-private sector partnership seeking to come up with typhoon-resistant school buildings all over the country, has seen fit to donate the prize money of $10,000 during Monday night’s ceremonies at the New World Renaissance Hotel in Makati. The Malaysian, Eleena Jamil, opted for donating the cash prize to the government’s school-building program.

The typhoon-resistant school-building design features an all-concrete structure—from the roof down—in what the government believes is the answer to the problem of toppled school buildings and roofless schools after the exit of powerful typhoons. The National Disaster Coordinating Council, the Department of Education and Holcim have joined together in setting up the design contest for future school buildings. We understand that the construction of calamity-resistant school buildings would serve another purpose: that of evacuation spots in the event of calamities that strike any part of the country.

Holcim, a global cement giant from Switzerland, has made it its commitment to help in the country’s setting up of calamity-resistant school buildings as part of its corporate social responsibility, or CSR. This is a new corporate buzzword among corporate citizens as part of what has been dubbed as a new paradigm for companies: attendant social responsibility. CSR accounts for the awakened citizenry on the problems of global warming, alternative energy sources and poverty-alleviation efforts.

About 200 masons who completed the company’s Galing Mason Program are being marshaled to build the school prototype. The masonry program is a joint project of the company with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and which is a seven-day training program for interested workers who want to be certified in masonry work. The prototype school building will be built in Nato, Sangay, Camarines Sur, a place often ravaged by typhoons. This government-private sector partnership should be replicated in other areas of concern, such as the alleviation of poverty, considered the reason for the surge in crimes, terrorism and other violent acts. 

E-mail: hugagni@yahoo.com

As this was being written, the noon deadline for the payment of ransom by the kidnappers of Ces Drilon and Jimmy Encarnacion lapsed. Word on the fate of the ABS-CBN TV reporter and her cameraman has yet to filter out of the bandits’ lair in Sulu. Like the rest of the media community, the owners and staff of this paper offer their prayers for the safe release of Drilon and Encarnacion—just like the third member of the team, assistant cameraman Angelo Valderama, who was freed earlier.

I am no fan of the jeepney, that supposed Filipino icon and example of Filipino engineering and ingenuity which has been the principal mode of mass transport in our country.

The Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) was correct to ignore the Senate and write directly to Mrs. Gloria Arroyo. She is, after all, the only person to talk to about any pending legislation, unless, by some miracle, this present Congress grows balls.

The View from the 19th Floor: Mutual respect

Let me start by stating that despite what happened during the Energy Committee hearing at the Senate, we at the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) will not be discouraged from pursuing our efforts to foster closer ties between the Philippines and our respective countries.

Market Files: Naia 3 structural defects

What subplots are at play in the rush to the “phased” opening of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia 3) next month, when the concerns that the two structural engineers the Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) hired to have a look-see at the mothballed terminal have not yet been satisfactorily addressed?

Andy Mukherjee: Hang around 73 years for final check from India

Markus Rosgen, a Citigroup Inc. equity strategist in Hong Kong, has turned the commonly used metric of dividend yield on its head with interesting results.