CLARK FREEPORT—The Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (PamCham) is pushing for a railway system that will link this freeport to Regions 1, 2, 3 and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
In letter to Regional Development Council (RDC) Chairman Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado of Bulacan, dated April 18, Renato G. Romero, PamCham vice chairman, said the proposed railway system will “facilitate the fast and easy access” of passengers in the north to the Clark International Airport (CIA).
“I…humbly propose to the government, and for the RDC III’s support, the construction of a North Quad Railway System that will link Clark to Regions 1, 2, 3 and CAR,” Romero said.
The businessman said railway system, once completed, will also significantly contribute to the full development of the CIA.
CIA’s declaration as a premier gateway to the Philippines has been a long-standing advocacy of PamCham, he added.
“Unfortunately and for reasons we fail to fathom…despite the airport’s many attributes that, by all sense and logic, makes it an ideal international portal to the country, it has yet to be declared as such,” Romero lamented.
“We continue to hope, however, that somehow, someday—sooner rather than later—this aspiration will, indeed, become a reality.”
Romero said PamCham is supporting the principle that “Clark’s development should parallel the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s [Naia] because, admittedly, Manila is, and will always be, the center of trade, commerce and finance.”
As an added bonus, Romero said, having Clark as a twin airport facility will “considerably relieve congestion in Metro Manila, improve the quality of its living conditions and, at the same time, contribute to the spread of growth and progress northward.”
PamCham has recently declared its support behind the Advocacy for the Dual Airport Priority, which calls for a dual airport system in tandem with Naia. “It is my belief that efforts at promoting Clark’s fundamental advantages as an international gateway must not wane, but rather be intensified to keep it within the ambit of awareness, not only of the national leadership—both the current and incoming administrations—but of the international community, as well,” he added.
Romero said it is more sensible to take advantage of the local population-catchment area of Regions 1,2,3 and CAR currently estimated at 23 million. He said this is enough to sustain CIA’s operations and maximize the utilization of its facilities, considering that CIA is considered one of the biggest aviation complexes in Asia with two runways in parallel configuration that can easily be extended to 4 kilometers to accommodate the new-generation wide-bodied aircraft.”
Romero said this is even more significant given the current situation where Clark’s potential is hindered by its distance from Manila, adding that the provision of a critical railway system that will link it to Naia may, as of yet, be “another wishful thinking.”
Image credits: CIAC-Corporate Communications Office