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Friday, May 27, 2005
City Council wants SM Clark deal bared
By Dante M. Fabian
THE City Council of Angeles is calling on the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) to reveal the contents of the contract granted to the Premier Central Inc. to establish the SM Clark Mall in the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ).
Councilor Vicky Vega-Cabigting said the signing of the SM Clark contract was done without consultations with the City Government and the people in affected communities.
The contract was signed during the term of former CDC president Emmanuel Y. Angeles.
Cabigting assailed the CDC's stubbornness in keeping the government's SM Clark lease contract a secret to the public, by including a confidentiality clause in the agreement, which has been questioned by the Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) and various groups.
In a privilege speech last Tuesday, Cabigting said while the SM Clark construction had commenced, the arguments over it have pitted Angeleños against each other.
She also appealed to the PGKM, Metro Clark of Angeles City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Macci), other local traders, public market vendors, transport groups, LGUs and CDC officials to come together in peace and accord, not in suspicion and distrust, in "making the crisis work for us and not against us."
"The SM Clark has already elicited various reactions from our local traders, the idea of another SM in Pampanga is not that well received. Our very own City Council has already made a stand on this, and we need to probe further," Cabigting said as she reiterated that it is the council's duty to look after the interest of its constituents.
"It is the right of every Angeleño to know what is happening around them and the impact of every policy and project being done in their area. If we go by the vital legal documents which provide the mandates of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the Clark Development Corporation (CDC), there is always a special mention on the importance of consultations with local government units," she added.
The councilor recalled that the City Council has had two public hearings regarding the SM Clark issue, attended by CDC executive vice president Victor Jose Luciano and Perto Cruz, PGKM chairman, among others.
Cabigting also said various issues surrounding the SM Clark need to be scrutinized to determine their effects on the economy, particularly those pointed out in a study made by a former CDC official Mia Esguerra, such as the following:
* Tax and duty free incentives being given to SM, which means its management will not be paying any local and national taxes. It shall however pay a fee of five percent of GIE or gross income earned and
* Comparative advantages of SM vis-à-vis other commercial establishments, which means SM will not be obliged to pay value-added tax (VAT), real estate tax, amusement tax, mayor's permit or license but will enjoy duty free importation;
Cabigting said establishments outside Clark SEZ will have to pay everything and will not enjoy the duty free importation privilege, which is clearly unfair competition.
She said the City Council has not heard from CDC the proposal to have terminals at the Bayanihan Park for both public utility vehicles within and outside the city limit. She asked the CDC to present a traffic plan if everything goes into full swing.
On the employment issue, Cabigting said she agreed with Romeo Yusi, Macci chairman, on his concern over the employment of our kabalens through the possible 12,000 jobs to be generated by the SM Clark.
However, Cabigting enjoined Yusi and the rest of the Macci members to be vigilant in making sure that priority will be given to Angeleños, Pampangueños, and other locals as well.
"My fear is that just like the evaluation of Esguerra, SM would employ contractuals for merely three to five months. Most of the companies or stalls in SM may hire people from Metro Manila and may even displace workers who are working in affected establishments outside the Clark area," she said.
(May 27, 2005 issue)
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