Clark corp. eyes vast raw lands for investors

CDC eyes raw Sacobia lands
Feb. 23, 2009 CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga- As the economic crisis stalks worldwide, the state-owned Clark Development Corp. (CDC) has stretched its vision farther into at least 2,000 more hectares of lands for new investors as its main 4,500-hectare zone seems already headed for a burst at the seams with investments. CDC president and chief executive officer Benigno Ricafort said at a press briefing here that a new master plan has been finished to development in six phases the 10,600 hectare Sacobia area north of this freeport ’s 4,500-hectare main zone. He said some P18 billion would be needed to build the needed infrastructure and other such needs in the area which has remained undeveloped, but noted plans to include the cost of development in the package for interested investors. “Phase 1 covers 2,000 hectares of flatlands in the Sacobia area which we now prefer to call Next Frontier,” he said. The area is part of the 10,600-hectare former US military land reservation which was turned over to the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) when the US air force left Clark in 1991. It is located north of the main zone of the 4,500-hectare main freeport and is mostly covered by Zambales and Tarlac. The master plan for the Next Frontier was finished only recently after two years of study and is set to be presented soon for approval of stake holders in the Clark area, Ricafort said. While most of the New Frontier is undeveloped, investors moving into the area would be asked to build roads and other such necessities leading to their investments site, the cost of development to be deducted from their lease payments to the CDC, he said. Ricafort noted that already, a Taiwanese investor has expressed interest in such arrangement amid its plan to lease some 300 hectares in the 2,000-hectare site under Phase 1 of the master plan for the New Frontier, he added. The entry of the Taiwanese firm, which the CDC declined to identify yet, is part of the “action plans” identified by the CDC for 2009 up to next year. Noting that the Next Frontier covers vast tracts already declared as ancestral domain of the Aeta cultural minorities, Ricafort bared proposals to Ricafort noted that almost the entire 4,500 main freeport has been leased out to investors, and more are coming in. Thus, the New Frontier must be developed soonest, he said. Latest CDC figures indicate there are now 434 investors at the main zone, with investments worth P68.63 billion. The freeport now provides jobs to 57,000 folk, mostly from Pampanga and Tarlac. This figure is much higher than the average 24,000 Filipinos employed by the US military during their presence at Clark . While some firms here, particularly those exporting garments, laid off workers as a result of the global crisis, Ricafort said he did not expect massive firing of workers to follow, amid expectations that more business process outsourcing firms (BPO) will move into this freeport from other countries. Ricafort bared proposals to relocate some already existing 12 villages in the Next Frontier and reduce their number to only five sitios so as to create more space for investments. Last year, the CDC entered into an agreement with Aeta tribes in the use of their ancestral lands in the Next Frontier. Under the agreement, the CDC would develop and manage their lands for new investments, with 20 percent of the income to be shared with the Aetas. The Lower House, however, sought a review of the agreement. (ding Cervantes)

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