MIAA takes over Philippine Village Hotel

PHOTO FROM PNA

MANILA, Philippines: After more than 20 years of being abandoned and eight years of legal battles, the Philippine Village Hotel (PVH) was finally turned over to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).

MIAA Officer-in-Charge Bryan Co said on Tuesday that airport personnel and the Pasay City court sheriff successfully gained access to the hotel and served the Notice to Vacate to the five private guards watching over the hotel.

Co said that the land on which the hotel sits is owned by the airport authority. The back portion of the hotel is already being used as a ramp for airplanes.

Co said the property in question is a component of the NAIA rehabilitation initiative. The entity managing it has outstanding debts to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

The hotel was once owned by Jose Marcel Panlilio but was later taken over by Rogelio Serafico of Burgundy Realty Corp. who continues to claim ownership of the building.

The Supreme Court on Jan. 20, 2009, ordered the Philippine Village Hotel management to leave the leased land and pay back the P26 million it owed to Nayong Pilipino Foundation. The hotel owner also failed to settle its mortgage with government lender GSIS, which foreclosed the property.

In June 2002, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Executive Order 11, which transferred 8.6 hectares of Nayong Pilipino’s land to airport authority.

Co said that they were able to check the facilities which the MIAA hadn’t checked for more than 20 years.

“Our personnel have already entered the hotel premises when they assisted the court sheriff in implementing the notice to vacate. MIAA security personnel immediately conducted security checks in all the facilities because we have not checked this building for more than 20 years,” Co said.

The MIAA previously sought the immediate intervention of the Pasay City local government in addressing the significant safety and security risk posed by the very poor condition of the hotel.

According to the airport authority, its priority is expanding the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 building and is currently in the process of evaluation.