Ombudsman suspends Cebu airport exec

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the suspension for six months of Steve Dicdican, general manager and chief executive officer of Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), in connection with the charges filed against him by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The ombudsman said the preventive suspension is warranted as the evidence of guilt against Dicdican appears to be strong.

It said the suspension was meant to prevent any possible tampering of evidence, harassment of witnesses, interference or exercise of infuence by Dicdican as well as concealment of pertinent records or documents.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade was tasked to implement the suspension order, which Ombudsman Samuel Martires signed on Wednesday.

Dicdican was charged with graft, grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service over the MCIAA’s award of a 25-year concession deal to GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. for the operation and management of MCIA after GMCAC won the bid for P14.4 billion.

Covered by the concession agreement are the construction of a new passenger terminal and associated infrastructure facilities, installation of the required information technology and other equipment commensurate with the operations and maintenance of the passenger terminals during the concession period.

The NBI said Dicdican, through the concession deal, allowed foreign citizens to manage and operate MCIA.

Lawyer Larry Iguidez, who filed the complaint, said foreigners are in command of GMCAC and exercise managerial and executive functions at MCIA.

Iguidez identified Ghanaian citizen Andrew Acquaah-Harrison, chief executive advisor of GMCAC; Irish Michael Lenane, chief operations officer, and Indian Ravishankar Saravu, chief commercial advisor, to be exercising control over the consortium in violation of the 1987 Constitution and the Anti-Dummy Law.