Wednesday, April 16, 2008 Mercado: Pamintuan is PGMA's prized overseer By Ram Mercado
GOOD news for Angeles City residents.
Within the year, the Clark Interchange of the SCTEX will be constructed, reducing further the travel time of motorists in the city going to Subic area, Bataan and Zambales.
This was announced by Secretary Edgardo Pamintuan, chairman of the Subic Clark Alliance for Development Council (SCADC), during an interview with Sonny Lopez in a widely beamed TV program "Aksyon Central Luzon."
Pmintuan, former Angeles City mayor, had fought all the way for the retention of the previously scuttled plan for the SCTEX Clark Interchange. Designers and economic planners of the government, along with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, cancelled the Clark project as originally included due to budgetary constraint.
Angeles business leaders strongly protested the non-inclusion of the Clark Interchange in the final blueprint. The clamor of the Angelenos fell on deaf ears until Pamintuan saw the logic and necessity of the project. He initiated frantic restorative moves by making "kulit" to the President (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) for its implementation.
Pampanga residents who frequent Baguio and La Union beach resorts will also be glad to know that their future journey to these locations will be a short joy ride away.
On April 21, a ground-breaking launch will be held in La Paz (Tarlac) to start the SCTEX Extension from its end terminal in that town to Rosario, La Union. The SCADC chief said the occasion is also the birthday anniversary of former President Diosdado P. Macapagal.
To facilitate the project's early completion, 10 contractors, each awarded a work section in the initial two-lane construction, had been contracted.
Pamintuan is practically the work overseer of the President in her massive development agenda, with Subic-Clark as the nucleus of Mega Logistics Hub for the delivery of services and goods to global destinations.
The Logistics Hub is served by a transit corridor, with the SCTEX as the backbone. Pamintuan explained the President's vision to align the Philippines with modern global trade and economic activities.
With the certain seamless delivery goods and services, and people, too, Subic-Clark will become the magnet of enormous investments that translates to expansive economic opportunities, to jobs, employment, and profit for local businesses.
At the same time, Pamintuan foresaw the decongestion of Metro Manila of its bursting population by the dispersal of industries and factories to the Central Luzon growth areas.
Pamintuan disclosed that a new port similar to one in Subic, will be established in Baler, Aurora province. This port will serve the Pacific side of the logistics hub, with Subic Port covering the South China Sea lane.
While the President was impressed with the initiatives to expand Subic-Clark's commercial and industrial agenda, he said, "she now wants total focus on creating a world-class Logistics Hub and Regional Service Center. She is positioning the Philippines to steady economic development, with her dream to see the country categorized as "highly-developed" after 20 years," Pamintuan stressed.
The Logistics Hub will be the driving force in her national economic agenda, citing inevitable job generation, national revenue contribution to the treasury, and lasting economic benefits to people, especially those in Central and North Luzon.
Explaining how the "seamless" logistics concept work, Pamintuan cites that cut flowers and vegetables freshly harvested would be taken direct to cold storage facilities, then transferred to vans from Mountain Province to Subic Port (for big volume cargo) or to DM International Airport (for high value small volume goods). After several hours by air cargo, the flowers or vegetables will arrive, say in Tokyo, Japan in the early afternoon, or in Singapore, or Taipei for use in social events and celebrations to be held during the evening of the same day.
As SCADC chairman, the Secretary is the President's alter ego who studies and evaluates performances of the Clark and Subic Free Ports, makes inventories of infrastructures thereat, asses their investment portfolio, coordinates high-level interaction between the two Ports to obtain maximum level of efficiency and growth.
At the moment, the former city mayor continues his watchdog function at the BCDA and its target goals. Angeles residents expect Pamintuan to fulfill his promise of seeing the start and completion of the Clark Interchange within 2008.
MCN (ACCTN) Channel 3 TV viewers heard him loud and clear on that, Lopez, former No.1 city councilor and media celebrity reminded the dynamic Palace overseer and "future" congressman from Angeles City.
* * * * *
Prior to their joining the Arroyo administration, the Edgardo Pamintuan-Alexander Cauguiran tandem created a history of sorts in Angeles City and the province at large.
Alex, now CIAC Vice President for Operations, was an actively fearless and fire-breathing spokesman against the martial law regime. He had caught public imagination that catapulted him to undefeated terms at the Angeles City Council as outstanding legislator and fiscalizer.
The CIAC executive is a brilliant organization man, a master in strategic planning, whether in political campaigns or simply in mass action and street demonstrations.
He fits to a "T" as CIAC President Chichos Luciano's strong arm, serving his chief with dependability and determination as Alex did supported Sec. Pamintuan in their heyday as underground fighters against the dictatorship.
While Chicos and the CIAC board paint a glowing future of the DMIA, their dream to accomplish all what they desire would not be easy to accomplish by 2010. Obstacles are tough and the time lime is short.
But Alex Cauguiran is not daunted by these challenges. To Alex the most important thing is to adhere to a vision of an airport complex transformed into a fully integrated and efficiently functioning aviation, industrial, commercial, and tourist community here at Clark.
What is truly remarkable about Alex is that he and Pamintuan remain twin partners in Mrs. Arroyo's crisis management team. Beyond their specific duties in their firms, they are special Presidential troubleshooters doing terrific work in crisis situations for PGMA.
