Roxas vows faster Clark airport upgrade

LIBERAL Party standard bearer Mar Roxas renewed yesterday his commitment, if elected president, to fast-track his plan to have Clark International Airport in Pampanga upgraded as the gateway twin of the cramped Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay.

Roxas’ commitment was discussed last Friday by Rep. Yeng Guiao (1st Dist., Pampanga) in a forum of the Capampangan in Media Inc. (CAMI) in their Bale Balita (House of News) in the Clark Freeport.

“This is good development news for Central Luzon,” Guiao said. “The expansion of Clark is a major component in Mr. Roxas’ economic program for the country should he win the elections.”

The plan includes the construction of a dedicated rail line connecting Clark with Metro Manila and the modernization of its terminals and navigation systems. Roxas also plans a third runway alongside the current parallel 3.2-kilometer airstrips built by the US Air Force.

“It’s only Mar among the presidential candidates who has publicly supported the wider commercial utilization of Clark under the proposed dual airport concept for Luzon,” Guiao said.

When we checked with Roxas, he confirmed his twin-gateway plan and his commitment made when he was DOTC secretary.

Roxas pointed out that NAIA has reached its capacity limit considering that its 440-hectare area is a mere fraction of the 2,000 hectares of Clark. He said NAIA no longer has the space for another runway and the modern facilities demanded by the growing air traffic.

He agreed with our metaphor that simply adding tables will not improve the service (and business) of an old restaurant without improving the kitchen, menu, ambience, personnel, and probably even the parking area. (Plus free wi-fi?)

There should be no upgrading conflict, Roxas said, because Clark will supplement rather than supplant NAIA. With the two aviation complexes working in tandem, one need not operate to the exclusion of the other.

While NAIA can cater to the national capital and the areas south of it, Clark can serve Central Luzon crisscrossed by the North Luzon Expressway, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (now linked to the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway) and the MacArthur Highway.

With the improved infrastructure network, regions north of the national capital have been booming. A centrally located modern international airport will round up the development while easing pressure on Manila.

Balancing development and spreading opportunities, Roxas pointed out that Clark has a big catchment area in Central Luzon with a population of over 22 million, compared to South Luzon’s 27 million.

Many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from North and Central Luzon prefer Clark for faster and more relaxed departures and arrivals especially with their traditional big sendoff and welcoming parties.

Airport departure data show that many Visayan and Mindanao travelers also prefer Clark so they can take advantage of budget flights and avoid traffic delays in Metro Manila. This has a ripple-effect boost on domestic tourism.

• Conflicting interests slow down upgrade

THE SUPPOSED rivalry between NAIA and CIA is an offshoot of conflicting political and business interests. We note that Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, who is from Cavite, wants NAIA partnered with a new airport to be built around Sangley Point in Cavite.

But Roxas, the DOTC predecessor of Abaya, said it would require a gargantuan amount of money and time to reclaim the bay area off Sangley. Roxas said it was not a good idea, and would not help decongest Metro Manila.

There is a politically charged debate on having the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, christened after Pampanga’s most illustrious son, renamed after an American aviator many Capampangans do not even know.

The decision to replace the name Macapagal was made by the Clark Development Corp. board with Felipe Remollo as president shortly before he was removed, ironically for being accommodating to local opposition officials pushing projects in the freeport.

A sort of compromise was to have the whole complex designated as Clark International Airport, and its main terminal keep the name of the late President Macapagal, whose bust adorns the lobby.

Plans call for upgrading Clark’s present capacity from two million passengers annually to at least four million. The National Economic and Development Authority has approved the upgrading of Clark, but even with a relative of President Noynoy Aquino appointed as CIAC president, nothing seems to move.

Studies of the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the DoTC before Abaya show Clark to be the best option for a quantum leap of improvement in the air service in the international gateway.

The choice of Clark is contingent on some conditions, including the building of a high-speed direct rail connection to Manila, among other infrastructure.

Clark is some 90 kilometers or 90 minutes by car from Manila. The dedicated rail line is envisioned to make the trip in not more than 40 minutes.

In Hong Kong, Chek Lap Kok airport is 32.6 kilometers, or 30 minutes, from Kowloon. Narita is 66 kms from Central Tokyo or, depending on traffic, 90 to 120 minutes away. The ride from Gatwick to central London is 30 minutes by train, and 60-70 minutes by taxi.

Comparative studies have shown that the Philippines can operate a twin-airport system as other countries do. Japan has Narita and Haneda airports; Washington DC has John Foster Dulles and Ronald Reagan airports; and London has Heathrow and Gatwick.

Clark International Airport Corp. used to be under the CDC, but was transferred to the Bases Conversion Development Authority under EO 716 on April 4, 2008. On Dec. 21, 2011, CIAC was transferred to the DOTC under EO 64.

The airports attached to the DOTC include the NAIA, Cebu International Airport, and all other small airports.

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