Clark International Airport: DOE had still-functional aircon units replaced

PAMPANGA, Philippines – It was the Department of Energy (DOE) that ordered the replacement of 33 air-conditioning units which were still in good working condition at the Clark International Airport.

This was explained on Friday, November 4, by the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) in relation to a recently released Commission on Audit (COA) report that cited the P2.357 million in “unnecessary expenditures” the CIAC incurred in replacing 33 still-serviceable air conditioning units.

“The replacement of the AC (air conditioning) units was in compliance with a Department of Energy (DOE) directive on October 13, 2014 mandating all government agencies to manage electricity usage efficiency in anticipation of the power capacity deficiency for the summer of 2015 that included the possibility of the replacement of conventional AC units to inverter-type units,” the email sent by CIAC Corporate Communications Office said.

In its 2015 Audit Report, COA questioned the replacement of the 33 air conditioning units found to in good working condition, resulting in the non-essential use of P2,357,478 in government resources.

The COA said CIAC, as part of its cost-saving efforts, bought 104 brand new split-type and window-type air-conditioning units in 2015 for P8,462,513 for distribution to several offices and for replacement of old units. It said 33 of these were still in good working condition and should not have been replaced.

The COA team reported that the 33 replaced units were not properly accounted for. It cited a report from the CIAC Engineering Department stating that 16 units were brought to the Property Department while 17 were transferred to offices and staff houses.

However, state auditors failed to verify this, as the CIAC Property Department was not informed about the pull-out of the old units and the installation of new ones.

“Verification of the report revealed that of the 16 units reported as transferred to the Property Department, three were actually transferred to various staff houses and offices. Further, the actual location of the 17 units reported to be transferred to various staff houses and offices cannot be ascertained due to lack of information on their property number and/or serial number,” COA said.

Asked by Rappler about the current whereabouts of the 33 air-conditioning units being questioned by COA, CIAC replied, “The CIAC Engineering and Maintenance Department reported to [Clark Airport Vice-President Lauro] Ortile that 18 of the AC units are currently being used in various areas around the airport, particularly at the CIAC Corporate Office Building, the passenger terminal building, the radar site, staff houses, the CIAC Board Room, the Aviation Security and Police Department Training Room, and at the CIAC Carpentry Office, among others, while 15 are stored in the Property Department warehouse.”

The CIAC Corporate Communications Office said the Department of Transportation and Communications (now known as the Department of Transportation) also issued Department Order No. 2015-006 stating: “If possible, replace AC units with an inverter-type or its equivalent with high Energy Efficiency Ratio.”

“The directive added that due to old age and the lower efficiency of the replaced AC units, it was recommended by the DOTC to use higher efficiency units to minimize repair and maintenance cost, and the use of refrigerant R-410- A, which is more environment-friendly than refrigerant HCFC-22 that contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer,” CIAC added. – Rappler.com