TOP government officials were impressed with the recent developments in Clark Freeport.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. expressed elation on the developments during his recent visit, along with some of the country's top diplomats assigned in various Philippine embassies and consulates abroad.
Locsin said he was astonished after hearing Clark Development Corporation (CDC) president and chief executive officer Noel Manankil's presentation of various developments and growth areas in Clark during the culmination of the Global Conference of Heads of Foreign Service Posts-Economic Diplomacy Familiarization tour on October 12.
Around 30 Philippine ambassadors and consul-generals also visited the New Government Administrative Center (NGAC) and the Athletic Stadium and Aquatic Center at New Clark City, which are on the final stages of preparations for the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to be held on November 30 this year.
"I wish I could live for another 30 years to see the tremendous developments of Clark," Locsin said.
The program was also attended by Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) president and chief executive officer Vicencio Dizon, CDC vice chairman Benjamin Defensor Jr., CDC directors Jon Castro and Emmanuel Gaerlan, Philippine ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Lourdes Yparraguirre, and CDC vice president for Business Development and Business Enhancement Group Evangeline Tejada.
After seeing first-hand all the developments in Clark, Locsin said ambassadors and consuls assigned in their respective foreign posts can now include Clark as a preferred investment destination in the Philippines in keeping with the economic diplomacy for the country.
BCDA chief Dizon told the group that the new Clark airport, which can accommodate eight million passengers per year, will be open to the public by the second half of 2020.
Also present during the presentation were some of the top foreign locators and investors.