SYNERGY. A most abuse adjective appended to every referral to Subic and Clark in government technocratese.
The twinning of the cities of sin in their American past further re-bonded in their freeport present. Yes, synergy: the interaction of Subic and Clark, the fusion of their resources and opportunities to achieve a combined effect greater than the sum of their individual effects, in this case the pump priming not only of their respective economies but of the whole Philippine economy. Boggling, yes. Hence, more lip service than an actuality.
Enmity. What really lies beneath the Subic-Clark dynamics.
In late June this year, a press release sourced from Subic quoted a study of the Nomura Research Institute (NRI) as noting the “resiliency” of Subic as an investment location, highlighting that only Subic turned out a positive figure – at 13.6 percent increase – in committed investments for the first quarter of 2009.
The NRI study, prepared for the Japan International Cooperation Agency, equally highlighted Clark as having recorded a whammy of a 72.5 percent decrease in commitment basis, the worst (non)performance among the investment promotion agencies in the whole Philippines.
Quickly, and so unfortunately, Clark Development Corp. (CDC) President-CEO Benigno Ricafort saw in the published release from Subic the stirrings of a conspiratorial plot to oust him from his job.
Clear as day there, and but the blind and the shut-eyes could not see: The odiousness of the comparative performance of Subic and Clark is meant to demean Clark, to lift Subic at the expense of Clark. So where’s the synergy there?
Then, early this month, a news report carried by Manila papers insinuated of fuel smuggling in Clark with reports of 954.5 liters of diesel fuel confiscated from a local gas station in San Simon, Pampanga as having originated from Clark.
Read the news report: “The diesel fuel was imported tax and duty-free on condition that it was sold only within the Freeport Zone, in this case, the Port of Clark.”
So where was the news release sourced from? Why, Subic, where else?
In a corrective statement, CDC Public Relations Manager Sonny Lopez called the news report a “malicious misinformation drive by (Bureau of Customs) sources in Subic.”
Said Lopez: “The CDC has always maintained the highest level of security inside this Freeport as a failsafe (measure) against smuggling of duty- and tax-free goods.” This even as he lamented that the event happened nearly two months ago, and questioned the timing of the publication of the stories, coming out one day before the CDC was scheduled to appear before the Committee on Energy in Congress.
Reports of alleged fuel smuggling in Clark sourced from Subic, so loudly “Rogered” among mediapersons. So where’s the synergy there?
Then, only last Monday, came out our banner story here: “Low-cost airline to invest $10-M for Subic operations.”
“Pacific Pearl Airways, a private airline offering domestic flights, has set up its home base at the Subic Bay International Airport and said it plans to infuse $10 million for its start-up operations scheduled in December.” So began the story, complemented by a photo of the airline president, one Kristoffer Jimenez and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Administrator Armand Arreza exchanging copies of their signed memorandum of agreement.
Spit upon the face of Clark, Subic did with this misdeed. Considering that Clark’s Diosdado Macapagal International Airport is gaining ground not only as low-cost carrier hub in the region but also strides in actualizing itself as the premier international gateway of the Philippines.
A deep seaport in Subic. An international airport in Clark. That is the pure element of the Subic-Clark synergy. Anything that goes against that grain is sheer enmity.
Secretary Ed Pamintuan of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council, you are needed here.
The twinning of the cities of sin in their American past further re-bonded in their freeport present. Yes, synergy: the interaction of Subic and Clark, the fusion of their resources and opportunities to achieve a combined effect greater than the sum of their individual effects, in this case the pump priming not only of their respective economies but of the whole Philippine economy. Boggling, yes. Hence, more lip service than an actuality.
Enmity. What really lies beneath the Subic-Clark dynamics.
In late June this year, a press release sourced from Subic quoted a study of the Nomura Research Institute (NRI) as noting the “resiliency” of Subic as an investment location, highlighting that only Subic turned out a positive figure – at 13.6 percent increase – in committed investments for the first quarter of 2009.
The NRI study, prepared for the Japan International Cooperation Agency, equally highlighted Clark as having recorded a whammy of a 72.5 percent decrease in commitment basis, the worst (non)performance among the investment promotion agencies in the whole Philippines.
Quickly, and so unfortunately, Clark Development Corp. (CDC) President-CEO Benigno Ricafort saw in the published release from Subic the stirrings of a conspiratorial plot to oust him from his job.
Clear as day there, and but the blind and the shut-eyes could not see: The odiousness of the comparative performance of Subic and Clark is meant to demean Clark, to lift Subic at the expense of Clark. So where’s the synergy there?
Then, early this month, a news report carried by Manila papers insinuated of fuel smuggling in Clark with reports of 954.5 liters of diesel fuel confiscated from a local gas station in San Simon, Pampanga as having originated from Clark.
Read the news report: “The diesel fuel was imported tax and duty-free on condition that it was sold only within the Freeport Zone, in this case, the Port of Clark.”
So where was the news release sourced from? Why, Subic, where else?
In a corrective statement, CDC Public Relations Manager Sonny Lopez called the news report a “malicious misinformation drive by (Bureau of Customs) sources in Subic.”
Said Lopez: “The CDC has always maintained the highest level of security inside this Freeport as a failsafe (measure) against smuggling of duty- and tax-free goods.” This even as he lamented that the event happened nearly two months ago, and questioned the timing of the publication of the stories, coming out one day before the CDC was scheduled to appear before the Committee on Energy in Congress.
Reports of alleged fuel smuggling in Clark sourced from Subic, so loudly “Rogered” among mediapersons. So where’s the synergy there?
Then, only last Monday, came out our banner story here: “Low-cost airline to invest $10-M for Subic operations.”
“Pacific Pearl Airways, a private airline offering domestic flights, has set up its home base at the Subic Bay International Airport and said it plans to infuse $10 million for its start-up operations scheduled in December.” So began the story, complemented by a photo of the airline president, one Kristoffer Jimenez and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Administrator Armand Arreza exchanging copies of their signed memorandum of agreement.
Spit upon the face of Clark, Subic did with this misdeed. Considering that Clark’s Diosdado Macapagal International Airport is gaining ground not only as low-cost carrier hub in the region but also strides in actualizing itself as the premier international gateway of the Philippines.
A deep seaport in Subic. An international airport in Clark. That is the pure element of the Subic-Clark synergy. Anything that goes against that grain is sheer enmity.
Secretary Ed Pamintuan of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council, you are needed here.
