Over “overpriced” lot: MCIAA execs face NBI probe

CEBU, Philippines —  Officials of Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) are facing complaint before the National Bureau of Investigation-Central Visayas Regional Office over alleged overpriced lot defrauding the government at least P600 million in over payment.

Self-proclaimed anti-graft crusader Crisologo Saavedra asked the government’s premier investigative body to investigate and prosecute MCIAA General Manager Steve Dicdican, Assistant General Manager Glenn Napuli, Legal Officer Cyril Apao; Ramon Clavano, a member of the MCIAA Board of Directors and other members who approved the payment of P2.8 billion to Richard Unchuan on March 19, 2019.

Saavedra claimed the respondents were “cooperating, conspiring and confederating” the unauthorized payment to Unchuan despite the Supreme Court order to expropriate the lot in question.

He cited a report of the Commission on Audit on July 14, 2020 wherein state auditors advised MCIAA to reconsider the purchase of the subject property because the value was too high. According to COA, the P2.8 billion offer was too high since the price was not based on the prevailing market prices when the case was first filed or when Unchuan bought the property in 1998.

Instead of protecting the interest of MCIAA, Saavedra said, Dicdican instead justified the high appraisal value of P40,000 per square meter pegged by Tomasito Academia on January 31, 2019.

 “That, per record, we found out that on the year of the taking (1958), the market price per square meter was only Php 2000 to Php 6000 per square meter as the fair market value, for developed property in the vicinity of the Mactan International Airport,” Saavedra said.

 Doing the math, Saavedra said, the estimated payment for the 149,930 square meters should have been only P899.5 million at P6,000 per square meter. Including monthly rental of P20 per square, the total amount should have been only P1.49 billion thereby an overpayment of P595.2 million more or less.

When sought for comment, Napuli said the “MCIAA will not and will never deal with fixers.”

Napuli said Saavedra is being paid by a certain Johnson Yu, who claimed to be the one commissioned by the owners to sell the parcels of land in question.

In a letter dated February 18, 2019, Saavedra informed the MCIAA through Dicdican that he was appointed as “Attorney-in-fact of the true and legal owners” of Lots 2526 and 2541 as shown in the Special Power of Attorney executed by Yu and a certain Theresa Gambito.

Dicdican has questioned the validity of the SPA absent any proof that Gambito and Yu have explicit authority to appoint Saavedra as attorney-in-fact.

 According to Napuli, the MCIAA deals only with the court and anyone who has claims will have to file a case in court and they will answer through their lawyers from the Office of the Solicitor General.

 “All lots that MCIAA has paid were approved by the Court. Mr. Johnson Yu should hire a lawyer to file a case instead of Mr. Cris Saavedra trying to deal with MCIAA," Napuli added. — FPL (FREEMAN)