Mayor Gordon tells why they oppose Subic seaport.

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Byline: Neal H. Cruz

LAST Nov. 27, this column dwelt on the quarrel over the development of the seaport in the former American base in Subic between former Rep. Felicito Payumo, chief of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Gordons-Tourism Secretary Richard, Olongapo Mayor Kate and Congressman Gordon. Payumo, Rufo Colayco of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) and the Gordons were invited to last Monday's Kapihan sa Manila to debate the pros and cons of the seaport but only Payumo and Colayco showed up. Mayor Gordon said they were not invited. Our secretary said she sent the invitations.

Anyway, I presented the reasons the Gordons were objecting to the construction of three additional berths for a container terminal at Cubi Point, and Payumo and Colayco refuted them one by one.

Mayor Gordon wasn't happy with that and faxed a letter explaining in detail why they are objecting to it. It is not a "family feud," the mayor said. It "is not about local politics and personalities. This is about saving our people from the burden of an unnecessary debt caused by the desire to build a facility in an environmentally sensitive area when there is a better alternative."

It is very difficult to explain to the Filipino people, Mayor Gordon wrote, "that while the private sector is willing to pay for the container terminal's construction, pay the government at least P140 million annually for its use, and build it in the Naval Supply Depot Compound, an area that even the World Bank says is most suitable, the SBMA is insisting on making the government pay P10 billion for the project, without any clear indication how it is going to pay for it and who is going to use it, and build it in an ecologically sensitive area.

"There is no need to borrow US$157 million and provide a counterpart fund of US$28 million to build this port because as early as 1996, several international port operators have expressed interest in developing the port at no cost to the government. The furtive attempts by the SBMA and BCDA to pass on this debt to the Filipino people is a blatant betrayal of our people.