CLARK FREEPORT – The Clark International Airport Corp. and Philippine Pharma Procurement Inc. (PPPI) has signed a memorandum of understanding signifying their intent to jointly establish a pharmaceutical logistics and distribution center within the Clark Aviation Capital here.
CIAC president and CEO Jojit Alcazar and PPPI president Maria Blanca Kim Lokin signed the MOU at the PPPI headquarters in Makati City on April 7 aimed to further explore investment plans, joint ventures, or public-private partnership options, while ensuring compliance with pharmaceutical industry regulations and cold chain management standards.
“There’s a mutual appreciation of Clark’s distinctly viable location to build a pharmaceutical logistics hub with air cargo handling capabilities – main reasons which moved us swiftly to formalize this understanding,” Alcazar said.
“Clark hosts global cargo leaders FedEx, UPS, and DHL, and this collaboration with the only government-run pharmaceutical company in the country further positions CIAC to be the premier global civil aviation logistics hub of the Philippines,” he added.
For her part, Lokin said, “We look forward to this great opportunity as Clark’s strategic location provides a sprawling and uncongested complex in close proximity to Clark International Airport, major seaports, and national road networks in a disaster-resilient environment.”
“This opportunity provides unparalleled advantage for PPPI’s logistics operations and medical supply distribution, and ideal for us to build an integrated modern warehousing with cold chain solutions,” she enthused.
“Further, this partnership will support President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s vision to establish pharmaceutical ecozones with the end in view of improving access to medicines and reducing the country’s dependence on imported pharmaceutical products. The developments to be jointly made by PPPI and CIAC will be instrumental in the roll-out of the Botika at Bakuna Para Sa Mamamayan Program,” Lokin noted.
Present at the MOU signing were CIAC directors Glenn Albano, Victor Manuel, and Rommel Ma. Santiago, CIAC senior executive assistant Atty. Marie Elizabeth Lotilla, and chief strategic urban planner Melissa Feliciano, other PPPI representatives and CIAC personnel.
PPPI is an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry and tasked to manage investments in pharmaceuticals and related commercial ventures to provide low-priced quality medicine and medical supplies to both government and private hospitals and other health facilities nationwide. CIAC-PAD
