BCDA to build, develop, operate Clark Airport

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) will be tasked with the construction and development of the Clark International Airport, the state-owned agency said on Friday. The Clark International Airport will be developed under the authority of Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas, said BCDA chief executive Arnel Paciano Casanova. Roxas had earlier announced plans to sell the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for nearly $2.5 billion, an amount that would be enough to fund the construction of a replacement in Clark, Pampanga. He also clarified, however, that the plan would not “happen overnight," adding that the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) may end up keeping both airports if growth is “very high." BCDA has mapped out its plans for major buildings to be placed under their ownership, including the Clark International Airport. In September, the BCDA met with the DOTC to iron out the plans for the Clark International Airport Gateway Terminals and the policies and regulatory frameworks for the Philippine aviation industry, the BCDA said. 'Unity of purpose' Both the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) and the Clark Development Corp. (CDC), subsidiaries of the BCDA, have agreed to the BCDA’s role in developing the international airport. The subsidiaries will be tasked with operating the airport and convincing airlines to move to Clark. “We have a very short window to make this happen and we want to do it now with the unity of purpose and singular focus in delivering the infrastructure which our country needs for a long time," said Casanova. Under Republic Act No. 7227, the BCDA owns all properties and assets of the CIAC and the CDC, giving it the authority to take on the airport’s development. The same law also gives the BCDA the authority to undertake projects such as the expansion and development of the Clark International Airport. The BCDA is also responsible for the development of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and the public-private partnership with the Manila North Tollways Corp. The expansion of the Clark International Airport is seen to help boost the local economy via increased tourist arrivals and the creation of investment opportunities and employment, said the BCDA. — BC/MRT/VS, GMA News