LEADER’S LEGACY. Former Clark Development Corporation (CDC) President and CEO Noel F. Manankil (left) receives an award of recognition from CDC Chairman Jose “Ping” De Jesus (3rd from right). Also in photos are CDC Directors Jon Castro (extreme right) and Luisito Clavano. Manankil was acknowledged by the CDC Board for his incomparable leadership which ushered in an era of development for Clark Freeport Zone, and made it one of the most preferred investment destinations in the country and Asia Pacific Region.
CLARK FREEPORT – Members of the Metro Clark Advisory Council (MCAC) recently passed a resolution recognizing the significant contributions and efforts of the former Clark Development Corporation (CDC) President and CEO Noel F. Manankil in the development of this Freeport and its contiguous communities.
In a resolution signed by Metro Clark mayors Crisostomo Garbo of Mabalacat City, Carmelo Lazatin Jr., of Angeles City, Jose Antonio Feliciano of Bamban Tarlac, Reynaldo Catacutan of Capas Tarlac, Jaime Capil of Porac, Pampanga and MCAC Secretariat and CDC Communications Head Noel Tulabut, Manankil’s accomplishments and contributions in terms of investments, employment, infrastructure and utilities improvement, community development and assistance were cited.
MCAC members also acknowledged the support of Manankil in providing significant initiatives that improved the lives of their constituents. These include programs on education, livelihood, trainings, and off-site infrastructures among others.
Manankil was likewise commended by the mayors for his leadership and commitment especially during the on-set of the COVID-19 pandemic. It can be recalled that through his direction, CDC was able to provide assistance to Metro Clark communities and Local Government Units (LGUs) to help them cope with the effects of the global health crisis.
In a statement, Garbo who is also the co-chairman of MCAC lauded Manankil’s partnership with LGUs and assured that they will continue to support the advocacies of the state-owned firm.
“Mr. Manankil has done great work for Clark and the local communities. He has maintained a very good working relationship with the LGUs as seen in the many help that CDC extended. We hope that his replacement could maintain that if not surpass it. We are here to support CDC as always,” Garbo said.
For his part, Lazatin admired Manankil’s work ethics and described him as a “humble, simple, and straightforward” leader.
“From experience, I have always admired Mr. Manankil’s work ethic. He was firm in his decision-making, and yet gentle in dealing with his staff, whom he treated like his own family. A true blue Angeleno, Mr. Manankil never forgot his roots, serving his own kababayans the best way he could, as he accepted the city government’s appeal to prioritize hiring residents from the city, for job openings inside the Freeport. Just like CDC presidents before him, Mr. Manankil has been a testament of transparency, saying no to corruption and red-tape,” he said.
Under Manankil’s term, the state-owned firm was able to generate P4.92 billion net income, surpassing its combined earnings of P3.01 Billion in the past 22 years (1993 to 2015) in just a span of four years. Aside from this, other economic targets were also met. These include the attainment of P3.1 billion actual investments, provision of jobs for some 136,000 individuals from various parts of the country, remittance of cash dividends to the National Treasury amounting to P3.1 billion, and provision of P2.4 billion infrastructure development programs and projects.
Major awards and recognitions were also bestowed to this Freeport under his management. For 2015 and 2018, Clark Freeport Zone was acknowledged by the Philippine Sports Tourism Awards (PSTA) as the Sports Destination of the year, making this Freeport not only a nucleus of economic development in the country but also an ideal tourism destination.