(Nayong Pilipino Foundation executive director Mitch Ong poses with members of the Capampangan in Media, Inc. (CAMI) at the Balitaan media forum. Contributed Photo)
CLARK FREEPORT – The five-hectare Nayong Pilipino Clark (NPC), which is managed and operated by the Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF), is getting ready for relaunching in October.
This was announced by NPF executive director Mitch Ong on Friday during the “Balitaan” media forum organized by the Capampangan in Media, Inc. (CAMI) in cooperation with the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) at the Bale Balita here.
“Right now, Nayong Pilipino has been very silent. From the looks of it, we can say that and it has been a sleeping cultural agency,” said Ong.
“That is why we are rehabilitating it physically and administratively we are also having a reorganization,” she said. “There is a reorganization released by the Government Commission for Government Owned and Controlled Corp. (GCG) that is not fully implemented,” she explained.
“We have two employees and we are still looking for 29 new employees with dedication, commitment, professionalism, zest for excellence and one who loves the culture,” she added.
Ong said the manpower is the foundation. “That is why we are prioritizing it and now we are having a structural audit of all structures inside NPC. We hope to relaunch it in time s for the SEA Games,” Ong declared.
She explained that NPC will not be totally closed during the rehabilitation period but will be improved portion by portion. “We don’t want to lose the opportunity because many visitors are coming to Nayong Pilipino on a daily basis,” she said.
Ong said just last Thursday, some 20 busses visited the NPC and on the average 10 busloads of people visit the park daily.
She said visitors come as from far as Laguna, Cavite in Southern Luzon as well as Nueva Ecija, Zambales and Tarlac among others.
Ong said they are also now working to open the park at night since the market for Clark is MICE (meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions) which is after 5 pm. But she said the problem is, “the park doesn’t have lights and needs rewiring, it needs a lot of electrical works to support culture tourism at night.”
The NPF executive director said the present board is focusing on NPC because it is already here while the 9.5 hectares site of the NPF in Manila is still in the planning stage since there was a National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) approved plan that expired because the former board opted to have a contract with Landing (Resorts Philippine Development Corp.) over the NEDA approved plan.
She said the Department of Justice has already said the contract with Landing has no legal effect since it was invalid from the very beginning.
Meanwhile, Ong said NPC should showcase the Philippines’ best and should also be the venue to celebrate our diversity not only diversity in our identity but also diversity in our crafts, diversity in our taste.
The NPC is open from 8 am to 5 pm seven days a week and charges entrance fees – P100 for children and P150 for adults.
