Despite the huge damages it suffered, the Sunwest Construction and Development Corporation (SCDC) on Sunday announced their commitment to continue and finish the construction of the Southern Luzon International Airport (SLIA), a Public Private Partnership Project (PPP) in Barangay Alobo, in Daraga town in Albay.
Elizaldy Co, SCDC president, said "when we accepted the contract to do the construction work of the said airport, we did the same not only as a business venture but, importantly, we want to contribute our share in uplifting the lives of our fellow Bicolanos by giving livelihood and pump priming the local economy."
Co, in a press statement, said despite the loss of 12 heavy equipment worth P100 million, the company is determined to rise again and overcome the minor setback by immediately continue and carry out the construction work of the airport.
Co said they were deeply saddened by the arbitrary burning and destruction of the company's equipment at the SLIA construction site.
The burning of the company's equipment was a major loss for the company, including the trauma and anxiety experienced by the employees who were there during the terroristic attack.
The company also bared that so far P200 million investment in the construction business were lost due to atrocities made by the NPA (New People's Army) in the Circumferential Road Project in Catnaduanes (P50 million), Bula Rinconada Road project (P50 million), Camalig road project (P10 million) and the SLIA project P100 million.
The burnt heavy equipment owned by the ALRO and RAMAR construction was estimated at P20 million.
The Southern Luzon International Airport is a P3.4 billion airport project funded by the national government located at a 400-hectare land in Barangay Alobo, in Daraga town, 10 kilometers from the city.
Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said some P600 million funding was already released this year to start-up civil works for the construction of concrete roads leading to the airport site.
The SLIA project is expected to be finished and be operational by 2014, Salceda said.
He said the Provincial Government of Albay and Regional Development Council believe in the commitment and the capacity of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in providing security to strategic installations and infrastructure vital to the development of the Bicol Region.
The international airport is critical to the achievement of 650,000 foreign tourists in Albay, Sorsogon and Masbate by 2016.
In the short-term, with Legazpi now being served by 11 flights, it is critical to avoid the 22 percent cancellation rate in 2011 due to bad weather while the existing airport could not be fitted with ILS due to its location while sundown restriction curtails flight options.
Moreover, Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Mar Roxas has approved last week the realignment of P2 billion of the unspent P8.5 billion PPP fund in 2011 to accelerate the SLIA development, he said.
Salceda said another P2 billion is expected to be budgeted in 2013 to allow the completion of the airport by end-2014. This incident will not move back the completion target date of end-2014 for the airport.
NPA rebels swooped down Friday night in a simultaneous attack on a nearby Army detachment and burned 18 heavy equipment at the construction site of SLIA at Barangay Alobo, Daraga, Albay
The communist rebels, armed with assault weapons, fired at the Army detachment manned by 12 soldiers that led to an exchange of fire that resulted to the injury of Army Private First Class (PFC) Kristian Cornal and Ryan Gapayao, both members of the Army's 2nd Infantry Battalion (IB) in Albay.
An undetermined number of communist rebels swooped down at 9:35 p.m. Friday on a 12-man Army detachment and at the same time raided the two motor pool with 18 units of heavy equipment and swiftly poured gasoline and set them on fire, Army Maj. Angelo Guzman 9th Infantry Division (ID) spokesperson said.
Army Col. Arthur Ang, commanding officer of the 901st Infantry Brigade, said hot pursuit operation is being conducted to hunt down the NPA rebels belonging to the Jose Binamira Command a guerrilla front operating in Albay.
Ang, in a phone interview, said the motive of the burning of the heavy equipment by the NPA rebels was extortion, the failure of the construction firm to give in to the demands for their "revolutionary tax."
Ang said "This is a desperate move by the NPA rebels because Sunwest Corporation will never concede to their extortion demands."
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