CLARK FIELD, Pampanga—In the presence of President Arroyo, Kuwait’s KGL Investment Company recently signed an agreement with Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) for KGL Investment’s vehicle called The Port Fund, to develop a large mixed-use aviation-oriented logistics complex on a 167-hectare site inside the former US Military base at Clark Field, Pampanga.

Saeed Dashti, chairman of KGL Group of Companies of Kuwait and board member of KGL Investment Co. said, “Our business plan calls for the development of a master-planned mixed-use Logistics and Business Center of Excellence which will be known as Global Gateway Logistics City [GGLC]. It will host business enterprises and operations, with priority given to aviation and logistics-related businesses, including warehousing, distribution, transportation, light industrial, manufacturing, business offices and complimentary commercial and retail operations.”

Marsha Lazareva, vice chairman and managing director of KGL Investment and the signatory of the agreement, said, “the project will be developed in two stages. The first stage will be an immediate investment of $30 million by The Port Fund to develop the infrastructure including the roads, streets lights, fencing, landscaping, sidewalks, utilities, and access points. The second stage will see the development of a logistics park with facilities and buildings representing over $1 billion in construction costs.”

Lazareva further noted that “we are excited about our first major logistics investment in the Philippines . We have been studying opportunities in the Philippines for some time now and we believe that our partnership with CIAC and development of GGLC is the ideal investment, especially with the concomitant development of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport and the surrounding area.  We continue to look for other investments in the Philippines to compliment our global strategy.” 

KGL Group is a global leader with over 50 years experience in transportation, logistics, supply chain management and port operations. The expertise of KGL Group lies within the entire spectrum of logistics, and include specialized services in the following areas: logistics, warehousing, port management, shipping, freight forwarding, cargo and passenger transportation and others. KGL operations span the Middle East including Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, Sudan and UAE.

KGL Investment Co. was established in 2006 to leverage KGL’s expertise, brand and international platform to take advantage of the growing private-equity opportunities in the industry. The Port Fund was launched to invest in high potential, mid-sized port management and logistic related businesses in the world’s fastest-growing markets.

KGL Investment Company has selected Peregrine Development International to develop the project; Peregrine has extensive experience in project development, program management, engineering, construction, operations, maintenance and logistics. Peregrine has offices in Kuwait, Iraq and the Philippines with a proven track record developing large projects, incorporating the best in conceptual design, marketing, program management, project execution and logistics support to a broad range of clients in both the public and private sectors globally.

Dennis Wright, President and CEO of Peregrine, said he was “especially enthused about executing the work, particularly since Peregrine played a central role in developing the conceptual design and engineering plans for the project over the past two years.”

Wright also noted “the Peregrine executive team has served or been closely aligned with other work in the Philippines since 1972, including service in the US military, construction of the concrete gravity bottom for the Malampaya oil field developed for Shell Oil and constructed at Subic Bay, installation of the Malampaya gas platforms off Palawan Island, operation of the refinery at Batangas for Shell, privatization of Mimosa Resort in Pampanga and Al Amanah Bank privatization opportunities and numerous other projects.”

Mark Williams, VP of KGL Port Fund, said that as soon as the CIAC approves the construction plan, they expect to immediately commence work on the infrastructure of the site. “We expect to complete Phase 1 within 24 months of the groundbreaking and we are optimistic Phase 2 can be initiated even before the completion of Phase 1.” Williams went on to say “the development would be a significant boost to the local economy and that there would be over 35,000 new jobs created by the time the project is fully built out.”

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CLARK FIELD, Pampanga—In the presence of President Arroyo, Kuwait’s KGL Investment Company recently signed an agreement with Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) for KGL Investment’s vehicle called The Port Fund, to develop a large mixed-use aviation-oriented logistics complex on a 167-hectare site inside the former US Military base at Clark Field, Pampanga.

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