4 firms told: Pull out of Sasa port

By Cheneen R. Capon
Dabawenyos who oppose the controversial P18.9-billion Sasa port modernization are asking four big companies to withdraw their bids and join the bandwagon calling for the review of the project.
In a letter, the petitioners– incumbent Davao City second district councilor Diosdado Angelo Mahipus, come-backing Davao City first district councilor Pilar C. Braga, Antonio H. Vergara, Samal Island Resort Owners Association president Pastor Lozada Jr., Kadamay Urban Poor Network spokesperson Benjie Badal; and former city councilor and Duterte Presidential Campaign spokesman Peter T. Laviña, and Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII)– said they firmly believed that the port modernization project and its bidding processes are “irregular and anomalous.”
The letter was addressed to the four bidders who are Asian Terminals Inc.-DP World FZE Consortium; Bollore Africa Logistics; International Container Terminal Services, Inc.; and San Miguel Holdings Corp.-APM Terminals Management (Singapore) Pte Ltd. Consortium with Hyundai Development Company and Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co., Ltd. as contractors. Singapore-based Portek International Pte. Ltd., which had partnered with National Marine Corp. and Toyo Construction Co. Ltd. as contractor, earlier withdrew its bid in the auction.
“We, therefore, ask you to withdraw your bids and join our call for the review of this project and let the next administration to pursue it,” the oppositors, who were also present in this week’s edition of Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao Annex, said.
The critics said the port development project “has wrong premises, design and cost and therefore not responsive to the needs of the port users of the Davao region. It has not also gone through the correct and transparent bidding procedures and processes.”
The four bidders, the oppositors said, will have to consider the “two huge obstacles” of the project which is, firstly, the objection of the city government of Davao. “No less than the elected City Council of Davao issued a resolution of to this effect last December 21, 2015.”
Secondly, the group said an urgent case was filed before the Supreme Court last month for the project which the group described as “white elephant and subject of a troublesome litigation.”
“It is a petition to stop this bidding by invoking the Writ of Kalikasan for the failure of the national government to seek the consent of the people and for not complying with environmental laws.”
The group said the “national government must be hiding these issues” from the interested port developers which will eventually become “unnecessary problems”.
“Hence, we appeal to your sense of fairness and justice. We are afraid you will eventually be holding the proverbial empty bag if you pursue this bid,” the letter read.
As much as the group is not against any development project, they said they only wanted a port that will be for the needs of Dabawenyos.
At present, the bidding process of the port modernization project is postponed because of the lack of endorsement from the Davao City Council.