This, as CDC has admitted that the controversial location of the proposed Capilion Corporation Pte. Ltd. (Capillion) mixed-use buildings near this freeport’s main gate in Angeles City was the preference of the Singapore- based investor.
This was revealed by Roden Perez of the CDC marketing department during the “Balitaan” forum of the Capampangans in Media, Inc. (CAMI) here, amid conflict triggered by fears of worsening traffic at Clark’s main gate.
Perez said that Capilion was given free hand in choosing location at the freeport and opted for a three-hectare strip of land sandwiched between the Roxas Highway at Clark’s main gate and Don Juico Road where Angeles’ main tourism district is located.
Perez said a group of experts from the University of the Philippines has already completed a study that would ensure that the construction and operation of the Capilion project would not aggravate traffic problems in the area which also serves as major route to the Clark International Airport.
Critics of the project said Capilion could be located in other nearby areas within Clark and should not be allowed to build on the presently designated site.
“We are repeating the mistakes of Metro Manila where routes to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport are often traffic clogged,” said the multi-sectoral group Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM).
It noted a provision in Executive Order No. 80 which created the CDC emphasizing that “Clark will be converted into an international civil aviation complex, a modern industrial estate and tourism, trade and business center for Luzon and Asia.”
The Capilion project, dubbed Clark Green Frontier is a long-term lease and development of a mixed-used facility intended for business process outsourcing(BPO), commercial, and retail enterprises.
The proposed development will be completed in three phases with the first phase expected to start middle of this year.
The initial phase is expected to cover over 33,000 square meters of office space, with about 150 retail shops. It is expected to generate up to 20,000 jobs, majority to be taken in by BPO locators.
Ground breaking ceremony for the project was held way back in May last year.
Capilion Corporation was established in 2006 in Singapore as an international private equity and corporate finance advisory firm. It is part of the Capilion Group of Companies, Capilion Financial Ltd. and Capilion RE Engineering Ltd.
The executive order which created the CDC, however, said that “in case of conflict between the CDC and the local government units concerned on matters affecting the CSEZ (Clark Special Economic Zone) other than defense and security, the decision of the CDC shall prevail.”
Upon signing of its lease agreement covering the controversial locatio, Capilion presented to CDC demand drafts worth $4.9 million (around P215 million) to represent its advance lease, security deposit and performance security plus a reservation for another 8,639 square meters adjacent to its leased property, as well as bank certification confirming its P2-billion fund for the property development in Clark.
