CLARK FREEPORT – The Clark International Airport Corp. and Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) have formally signed a partnership agreement on Oct. 27 to develop one of CIAC Flagship Projects, the Clark National Food Hub, and a major step forward in the transformation of the aviation complex into the Clark Aviation Capital.
The ceremonial signing is a result of the series of coordination meetings and deliberations on the terms between CIAC and FTI relative to the development of the project.
Present during the event were Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Bases Conversion and Development Authority chairman Hilario Paredes and president Joshua Bingcang, CIAC president and CEO Joseph Alcazar, CIAC directors Glenn Albano and Victor Manuel, FTI president and CEO Joseph Rudolph C. Lo, Transportation Assistant Secretary Donald Mendoza, and representatives from Clark National Food Hub Task Force and from the New Business Ventures Unit.
“This partnership aligns squarely with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to prioritize agricultural development and strengthen the agro- and agri-logistics value chain—particularly in advancing the nation’s aquaculture and agriculture industries,” Alcazar said.
It will feature state-of-the-art facilities and services integrating modern food storage warehouses, cold storage units, processing facilities, administrative offices, research and quality control, international shipping, marketing, and trading for both domestic and export markets.
According to Alcazar, the collaboration covers the development, operation, and maintenance of a wholesale food hub that will serve the Clark Freeport Zone, New Clark City, Metro Manila, and the regions of Northern, Central, and Southern Luzon, while also providing direct access to global markets.
Envisioned as an integrated and centralized hub for food distribution, storage, and processing high value agro–and agricultural products, supporting both local and export markets.
The project aims to strengthen national food security and enhance the Philippines’ competitiveness as a food exporter by improving logistics, cold chain systems, quarantine processes, and compliance with international trade and safety standards.
Alcazar expressed gratitude to FTI for its partnership, emphasizing that the initiative marks a major milestone in promoting sustainable agricultural growth and ensuring a more efficient food value chain nationwide as well as improving the country’s food security.
CIAC serves as the aviation and land development arm of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), while FTI is a government-owned or -controlled corporation and a subsidiary of the National Food Authority (NFA) which engages in supporting the agricultural sector by providing facilities for food processing, storage, and distribution, linking producers with consumers, and promoting price stability. CIAC-PAD
