“Balamu fiefdom de ing pairal da. Balamu okay mung okay karela, but now papakit tamu at least malyari salansang karetang pipilit da (It’s like they’re imposing their own fiefdom. They think it’s always okay for them, but now we are showing that at least we can go against what they want),” said Cruz.
“The PGKM is the watchdog over developments in Clark,” he assured. Earlier, Guiao said Clark has already seen three presidents since President Aquino came to power in 2010 – Felipe Remollo, Eduardo Oban and Arthur Tugade – which create instability.
This underscores the need to convert Clark into an authority by an act of Congress, he said.
Guiao said the chief executives of Clark should have a fixed term of office that should be defined by law to immunize them from politicking so that they can set their own pace in the development of the freeport.
The Clark Development Corp. (CDC), the administrator of the Clark Freeport Zone is a government owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) created in April 1993 by Executive Order No. 80 by then President Ramos as the implementing arm of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) to manage the Clark Special Economic Zone.
Guiao has also said Clark should have its own charter and corporate identity in order to negotiate with governments and big businesses. The problem right now, he said, is Clark needs to pass through the BCDA and the Office of the President just to plan its own course.
Guiao said Magdalo party-list Rep. Ashley Acedillo headed a team of lawyers that formulated House Bill 321 which he admitted is an improved version of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) and Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport (APECO) laws.
Once converted into an authority, Clark would have its own charter that would insulate it from politics for the benefit of people not only in Central Luzon but even of the entire country, according to Guiao.
