KAPAMPANGANS on expressed their gratitude to reelectionist Senator JV Ejercito and Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Art Tugade for being instrumental in the realization of the long-overdue construction of the new Clark International Airport terminal in Pampanga.
Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. Chairman Emeritus Levy P. Laus that the senator and DOTr secretary paved the way for the big development in Clark which will boost economic growth and tourism not only in Pampanga but the whole of North Luzon.
“We Kapampangans are grateful to Senator Ejercito and Secretary Tugade for the new Clark airport terminal and defending the budget for it. Now, it is fast becoming a reality,” he said.
As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Ejercito personally defended the budget for the “Build, Build, Build” programs under the DOTr and Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) which included the P12-billion funding for the construction of the new CIAC terminal building.
Ejercito took note the crash landing of a Boeing 737-8000 owned by Xiamen Air in August 2018 wherein at least 69 flights were cancelled and 13,000 passengers were affected as a strong signal to push through with the then twin airport system proposal between Ninoy Aquino International Airport and CIAC.
Kapampangans lauded the bold action of Ejercito to uphold in the Senate the budget allocation for the new terminal building which will be beneficial not only to Pampanga and North Luzon but to the whole country as well.
The new terminal building is expected to increase the passenger capacity of Clark airport from the current two million today to up to twelve million once it is fully operational by next year. It is also expected to generate at least 200,000 direct employment for its daily operations.
Ejercito, for his part, said that he had seen the need to immediately construct a new international runway to address the growing air transport problems in Manila, thus his defense of the budget.
“I have been advocating for the realization of the twin airport system complemented by an efficient railway system that is why I stood my ground in defending it at the Senate to ensure that our dream to develop our airports will finally be realized,” he said.
Ejercito furthered that the soon-to-rise Clark airport terminal building complemented by the pending construction of Philippine National Railway line linking Metro Manila to Batangas and Clark will also stimulate economic activity in the countryside.
He disclosed that about 30 million employment opportunities in Central Luzon, National Capital Region, and Calabarzon can be expected once the infrastructure program will be completed before the term of President Rodrigo Duterte ends.
“This is all part of my advocacy to decongest Metro Manila by developing the countryside. We all know that Metro Manila has no way to go, no more room for expansion so we have to maximize the potential of the countryside with Pampanga as the center of development,” he said.