DAVAO CITY—A Regional Trial Court (RTC) here rejected the bid of a taxpayer for an extension of the three-day temporary restraining order (TRO) against the P40.57-billion Davao International Airport (DIA) development project for lack of extreme urgency.

RTC Branch 10 Presiding Judge Retrina Fuentes, who acquired jurisdiction over the case, ruled against an extension on the TRO, which was earlier issued by Executive Judge Emmanuel Carpio of RTC Branch 16.

“The court is not convinced that the matter is of extreme urgency and the petitioner, as a taxpayer, will suffer grave injustice and irreparable injury if the said TRO is not extended,” Fuentes ruled, adding, “The petition failed to establish any direct injury as a taxpayer that would warrant the extension of the TRO.”

Fuentes also took note that the 72-hour TRO issued by Judge Carpio had expired on August 15 having been issued on August 12, but the court received the return of the service only on August 18 and thus, “there’s no more to be extended.”

The court also learned that the submission of the prequalification documents had pushed through on August 17, hence, there’s “no more extreme urgency to speak of.”

However, on September 20, Fuentes will proceed with the hearing on the main petition for issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction.

The case stemmed from the civil suit filed by Andre Bucu of Central Park Subdivision, Bangkal, Davao City, questioning the prequalification stage of the bidding process.

DIA is one of the six airports in the country which the government placed under the Public-Private Property (PPP) Program. According to the government’s PPP web site, the Davao City airport project, which costs P40.57 billion, aims to decongest the airport which is currently operating beyond its capacity. It is regarded as the third busiest airport in the country.

The project includes the passenger terminal building expansion; cargo terminal building expansion; expansion of other key facilities, such as car parking and administration building; passenger terminal building: additional area from 65,000 to 125,000 square meter (sq m); cargo terminal building: additional area; from 13,000 to 27,000 sq m; apron area; and construction of full parallel taxiway.

The other airports subjected to PPP are the Bacolod City airport, Iloilo airport, Laguindingan airport in Cagayan de Oro City, New Bohol (Panglao) airport and Puerto Princesa airport.

At least six companies are interested in taking the deal, and these are Philippine Airports Consortium, led by Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Aeroports de Paris Management SA; the Union Equities-ACSA Consortium; the SMHC-HAC Airport Consortium of San Miguel Corp.; the Maya Consortium, led by Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. and Vinci Airports; the Filinvest-Jaco-Sojitz Consortium; and the GMR Infrastructures and Megawide Consortium.

01 September 2015
By Philippine News Agency