CLARK FREEPORT -- The Clark Development Corporation (CDC) announced that this freeport will be the venue of The North Face (TNF) 100 Asia series, which will be held from May 23 to 24 along outdoor terrain of the Sacobia Valley.

CDC president Benigno Ricafort said the state-owned corporation has signed an agreement with Primer Group of Companies (PGC), which will bring the TNF 100 Asia series to the Philippines.

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Ricafort and Dinah Lim, PGC assistant vice president for brand management, signed the agreement on May 12 at the CDC Corporate Headquarters here.

CDC Tourism and Promotions Office (TPO) Manager Noemi Garcia said the event attracts a battery of international world-class athletes who are avid fans of endurance races.

Garcia said the holding of the event along the rolling hills of the Sacobia area is very timely since it complements the CDC’s thrust in promoting The Next Frontier.

Sacobia is the home of The Next Frontier, said Ricafort.

He added that development of the area is being pursued in consonance with the Joint Management Agreement (JMA) -- a contract signed on December 6, 2007 by CDC, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and leaders of Aeta tribes who have inherent rights over certain areas of the Sacobia Valley under the Ancestral Domain Claims.

Ricafort stressed that while the JMA and the Next Frontier enable CDC to generate investment potentials in tourism, housing, commercial, institutional and light industry projects in the Sacobia Valley, the undertaking also ensures the recognition and promotion of the overall welfare of the Aeta tribes in the area.

Garcia said the TNF 100 Asia series will be the first 100-kilometer endurance race to be held in The Next Frontier where athletes will face various outdoor obstacles like mountains, creeks, and rivers.

In a related development, Ricafort announced that Team CDC won the recently concluded Clark Freeport Inter Locator Amazing Race held last May 10 inside the Freeport.

Ricafort said Team CDC bagged the P15,000 cash prize and trophy while E-Telecare took home the second prize of P10,000 and trophy, followed by Cyber City Teleservices, who won third place and a P5,000 cash prize and a trophy.

Team Clark bested 10 teams composed of various Clark locators and investors in navigating various obstacles which include the Seki Tunnel, and race courses set at the Clark Museum, Sacobia Bridge, and Parade Grounds.

“The sport activities challenged the participants’ physical endurance, as well as their ability to work as a team. Aside from highlighting some of the Clark’s undeveloped attractions like the Haduan Falls, virgin caves and trails, it also promotes camaraderie and unity among Clark locators and stakeholders,” Garcia said. (RGN/IOF)