CLARK FREEPORT—It is now only a matter of time before Congress will start its inquiry into the Capilion Corp. Pte. Ltd. and car company projects of the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) which allowed the companies to locate themselves at the main gate of this free port, earning the ire of Clark stakeholders.
Liberal Party Rep. Joseller “Yeng” Guiao of Pampanga said he will bring the issue to the proper committee in Congress as soon as he has furnished a copy of the Angeles City Council resolution seeking an
investigation into CDC’s projects at the main gate.
“I have not received a copy of the resolution, but as soon as I do, I will get the side of CDC before we bring the issue to the proper committee in congress,” Guaio said in a text message when asked to comment on the issue.
CDC welcomes probe
THE CDC said it welcomes the poised congressional inquiry. In a statement, the agency said, “This would clarify that the Capilion project is within the jurisdiction of the free port and that the P7-billion investment project would be a boost to the economy.”
The CDC also is requesting all concerned to “be patient and allow traffic experts from University of the Philippines-National Center for Transport Studies (UP-NCTS) to finish the traffic impact assessment and complete the study.”
City Council resolution
IT can be recalled that on August 25, the City Council passed a unanimous resolution seeking a congressional inquiry on why the CDC approved two projects at the main gate of this free port, an area described by the council as a “no-build zone.”
The City Council said among others, “The establishment of several tall buildings in that no-build zone will restrict the growth of Clark International Airport [CIA]” since “the establishment of buildings in the said area will contribute to the already monstrous traffic jams being experienced by commuters almost daily on the nearby, particularly Don Juico Avenue and Fields Avenue, which extends up to Macarthur Highway.”
The City Council resolution was sponsored by Councilor Max Sangil, who also sponsored Resolution 7184, Series of 2015, on June 2, expressing vehement opposition to any construction in the said disputed area at the Clark main gate.
Guiao said it was Sangil who verbally informed him on the City Council resolution. The advocacy group Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) is leading the opposition to the two projects at the main gate.
The PGKM said the resulting monstrous traffic jams at this free port’s main gate owing to the projects would be detrimental to the development of the CIA, a view cited by the City Council in its resolution.
Capilion’s Clark Green Frontier (CGF) would initially employ 18,000 workers and about 75,000 when it reaches its full capacity in about five years. According to the CDC, the CGF will cover the development of two nine-story commercial buildings, covering a total floor area of 43,151.04 square meters (sq m) within its 38,639 sq m of land in its Lease Agreement. It is diametrically opposite SM City Clark.
Economic disaster
THE PGKM also said the establishment of the Capilion project would be an “economic disaster” since it would enjoy the perks and privileges of the free port, while other businesses a spitting distance away would be levied with the usual business taxes. The lease rates for the project are $2.05 per sq m for its business-processing offices and $3.10 per sq m for its commercial, retail and hotel use.