It’s final: Piatco owns Naia Terminal 3

MANILA, Philippines–The Court of Appeals has affirmed with finality the ownership rights of the original contractor of the expropriated Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 until the government releases the P16 billion in just compensation earlier awarded to the firm by a lower court.

In a two-page resolution released last Friday, the appellate court’s Former Special 13th Division denied the motions for reconsideration filed by the government and the Takenaka and Asahikosan corporations seeking a reversal of the tribunal’s Oct. 20, 2014, decision that upheld the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc.’s (Piatco) ownership rights over Naia 3.

“A considered scrutiny of the arguments set forth in the motions for reconsideration… as well as the separate comments thereto by Piatco elicits the finding that there are no new grounds or bases sufficient to compel modification or reversal of the said challenged decision,” stated the decision written by Justice Franchito Diamante.

Concurring in the ruling were division members, Justices Dante Bueser and Melchor Sadang.

The Court of Appeals, siding with Piatco, said the RTC ruling allowing the government to exercise full rights of ownership over the Terminal 3 facilities upon the deposit to the escrow account was void for lack of basis under the law and for being unsupported by jurisprudence.–Jerome Aning