FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III expressed confidence in the leadership of Aaron Aquino, newly-installed president and chief executive officer of the Clark International Airport Corp. (Ciac), and Ciac's role in the government's efforts to further develop the Clark Civil Aviation Complex, including airport infrastructure expansion projects.
"We're very confident that General Aquino, who is now the Ciac president, will see to it that this (agency) will achieve all the goals set out by the Duterte administration," Dominguez said during an inspection of the new passenger terminal building of the Clark International Airport (CRK) with key Cabinet members on Wednesday, July 15.
The finance chief added the new terminal, which is currently 99.14 percent complete, "is totally a Duterte administration project from its conception to execution and it will be operational in six months, as promised by Secretary Vince Dizon, president of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade."
"This (new terminal) is critical for the development of tourism and international trade in the central and northern parts of Luzon," Dominguez said.
The group's brief tour also included Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea; Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado; Secretary Charlie Galvez, chief implementer of the Inter Agency Task Force on Covid-19; along with Clark Development Corp. president Noel Manankil, and other private sector leaders and government representatives.
The 2,367-hectare Clark Civil Aviation Complex is home to the privately-operated CRK, as well as the mixed-use business district Clark Global City, and currently around 45 locators in cargo and aviation-related businesses.
During the presser, Aquino noted Ciac's future infrastructure and landside business development projects that, he said, will readily create revenue sources for the national government.
"Currently in Ciac's pipeline are horizontal infrastructure projects such as a new Air Traffic Control Tower, the upgrading of the airfield ground lighting system, a new radar system, and the construction of the second runway in conformity with the Clark International Airport Master Plan," Aquino added.
Ciac is a subsidiary of the BCDA, while the DOTr exercises policy and operational supervision over Ciac.