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MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018 advertise@manilastandard.net
CDC@25:
LAYING GROUNDWORK FOR THE FUTURE
By Peter Paul Duran
C
LARK Development Corporation (CDC) may be celebrating its 25th anniversary this week, but the entity behind Clark Freeport Zone’s hasty rise in recent years has the future at the back of its mind.
Clark – which houses a 4,400-hectare main zone and a 27,600-hectare subzone, with a 9,450- hectare New Clark City next on the agenda, is a modern industrial estate situated in Pampanga, planned to be transformed into an airportdriven, urban center targeting high-end, IT-enabled industries, aviation and logistics-related enterprises, tourism and other Freeport-related projects. It now has a total of 949 locators and a total of $6.876B in exports as of December 2017. But the altitude where they right now did not come without turbulence and a shaky start. From a P1-million net income some two decades ago, CDC can now boast that for the first time in its history, the Billion-peso mark has been breached, all the more making its silver anniversary much sweeter. From Ashes to a Modern Freeport It wasn’t that easy for Clark. In 1991, Clark Air Base, home to the US 13th Air Force, was shut down after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. The Americans left everything in haste and all that was left was an abandoned military base buried under tons of ash. Then came the fruition of CDC, which since then, had been recognized as the lawful backbone of the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) since its inception in 1993. Then, under the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the CSEZ was renamed Clark Freeport Zone (CFZ) by virtue of R.A. 9400. Rising from the Ranks “It’s a milestone year for us because it’s our 25th anniversary and I think there are good things that are happening in Clark right now,” said CDC President and CEO Noel F. Manankil. More than anyone, Manankil is best equipped to personify the rise of the government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC), having started his career as a financial analyst for the Corporate Planning Department back in 1996.
When the Ramos administration hailed Clark as a manufacturing and logistics’ hub for local and foreign companies, CDC had a lot of expectations to live up to. Thanks to the men and women of the state-run company, including former and current ones, the CDC delivered. “The past administration and also the former presidents and heads really gave it a push. From the first management team up to the current management team, we have built on each other’s successes,” Manankil added. Making sure that the Clark Freeport Zone would be one of the modern Freeports in Asia, CDC had been able to attract foreign and domestic locators to invest into the Freeport, with an excellent, adept and coordinated Management Committee proving to be pivotal for this endeavor. Testament to this is the collaborative effort of their ManCom, which in true style, talked with the Manila Standard last Wednesday -- in full force -- to update us on the many exciting things in store for Clark. Current Numbers For CDC, there are three drivers to the growth in the Freeport: their capability to entice more locators; driving additional exports; and taking advantage of the airport’s potential that is indispensable to achieving economic and tourism growth. CDC noted that as of December 2017, they now have 108,000 workers compared to 93,467 employees in 2016. This
Clark Development Corporation ManCom composed of (from left) Engr. Alveen H. Tabag, VP-Engineering Services; Atty. Ramsey L. Ocaampo, Ph.D., VP-Security Services; Atty. Perlita M. Sagmit, VP-Legal Affairs; Noel F. Manankil, President/CEO; Evangeline G. Tejada, VP-Business Development and Business Enhancement Group; Noemi B. Garcia, Tourism & Promotions Division Head; Alizaido F. Paras, VP-Administration and Finance; and Anthony Emmanuel G. Tulabut, Communication Division Head. Peter Paul Duran
indicates a 16% growth from the previous year. Manankil shared as well that during the time when the American bases were still located in Clark, there were only about 20,000 Filipinos employed in Clark Freeport Zone. Now, there’s a full five-fold increase in jobs’ generation and economic windfall for residents of adjoining communities. “In terms of exports, we successfully recorded a 35% growth from 2016, which translate to an export value of US$6.9 Billion,” said Manankil. Introducing Aerotropolis as its Development Pilot The GOCC has confidence that they are now moving forward and as part of their development strategy, they are banking on Clark being the new “Aerotropolis of Asia.” True enough, CDC leans to the aviation and airport terminal sector as their anchor for Clark’s development. Although not part of CDC’s project, Manankil revealed that the construction of an additional terminal for the airport, which can hold 8 million people and host 500 flights a day, is a would-be monumental boost for the overall economic growth of the entire Freeport Zone Future Transportation Requirements Having an ‘aerotropolis’ on top of their development list and anticipating an influx of investment and visitors, CDC focused on building more infrastructure. Engineer Alveen Tabag, Next page