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Thursday, September 21, 2006
Trader's appointment as Clark firm prexy welcomed
NEW YORK (Via Smart) -- The appointment of businessman Levy Laus as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Clark Development Corporation (CDC) was appreciated here by Filipino diplomats, entrepreneurs, and socio-civic leaders who are keeping a keen interest on the developments at the former US military facility.
Laus's appointment was hailed by US-based stakeholders of Clark, citing his pivotal role and connections between politicians and top businessmen in the Philippines that could serve as the missing factor in sustaining investors' interest in the special economic zone and site of the country's next premier gateway.
Kapampangan diplomat Elmer Cato said the appointment of Laus by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is very logical and timely, given the businessman's broad experience in the private sector as well as the clout that Laus wields in the political realm.
"For CDC to really be successful in its efforts to bring in more investments, it needs somebody who not only has the full trust and confidence of the President but someone who also has a broad business background and commands respect from political leaders. Levy Laus has these qualities," he said.
Cato, a former journalist now second secretary at the Philippine Mission to the UN, also noted that Laus's qualifications will serve as vital factors in pushing for legislative measures that would retain tax and duty free privileges of locators and investors inside the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ).
With former Angeles Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan as chairman of the Subic-Clark Area Development Council (SCADC), Victor Luciano as president of the Clark International Airport Corporation (Ciac) and with Laus at CDC, Cato said President Arroyo has come up with the perfect combination of Kapampangan personalities who are in a position to advance her vision for Clark.
Cato, who was instrumental in transferring the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) regional consular office from San Fernando to Clark, said he stands ready to assist in efforts to promote Clark through the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in New York.
At the West Coast, Demos Punsalan, co-founder of California Technological Care (CTC), said Laus deserves his new post. "We are happy that President Arroyo appointed a province mate who would handle the affairs of Clark. Our group is looking forward to meeting and working with him in some investment prospects. We will also be glad to arrange his possible visit here to Silicon Valley," he said.
The brother of former Pampanga vice governor Cicero Punsalan also suggested that an aggressive investment promotions plan in California be conducted by CDC under Laus's tutelage.
Punsalan together with Filipino American lawyer and former Milipitas mayor Henry Manayan has brought some American investors to Clark in 1997. Their group also arranged for CDC's investment mission in California in the late 1990s. (NT)
(September 21, 2006 issue)
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