INVESTMENT MISSION IN CANADA. CIAC President and Chief Executive Officer Arrey Perez, addressing the guests and delegates of the recently concluded 31st Annual Conference of the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) held at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in Toronto, said the CIAC is eyeing Canada-based firms as potential locators at the government -owned Clark Civil Aviation Complex.
The CCPPP is one of the world’s longest running and most impactful infrastructure conferences.
With President Perez on a 12-day trade and investment mission to Canada are members of his business team, namely, CIAC Director Monico Puentevella Jr.; Melissa Feliciano, Chief Aviation Strategist and City Planner; and Nancy Paglinawan, Chief Finance Officer; Arch. Federico Garcia, Chief Aviation Engineer and City Manager; and the CEO’s chief-of-staff Atty. Cynthia Dungca.
In the portion ‘New Public-Private Partnership Projects in The Philippines: Top 10 Opportunities and Clark City’s Development Plans’, President Perez presented the flagship projects of the CIAC under the Marcos administration to some 170 key leaders of various multinational firms, industries, and public sector entities.
“We support the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. especially because he recognizes the private sector’s role in national growth and the value of public-private partnerships (P3s) as a preferred funding mechanism of infrastructure projects,” he said
“We aim to make these initiatives in the Philippines more attractive to private investors,” he noted.
The CIAC chief also remarked that a Multi-modal Mobility Hub is envisioned as a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) that seamlessly integrates diverse transportation modes and mixed-use facilities, promoting sustainability and improving the quality of life for the community.
Perez also made a pitch of the Clark Civil Aviation Complex before participants of the ASEAN Business Opportunities Seminar held recently at the Ontario Investment and Trade Centre in Toronto, through the auspices of Michael Dodjie Fabian, Trade Commissioner-Infrastructure (ASEAN) of the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines.
The gathering highlighted the CIAC’s flagship projects beginning next year, including the National Food Terminal, Urban Renewal Program, and the Events and Entertainment Hub to be constructed near the Clark International Airport.
The CIAC chief and his business team, thereafter, met with executives of LANDInc, an urban design, landscape architecture and environmental planning firm, namely, Patrick Morello, Senior Principal, and Tarea Heshka, Project Manager, to exchange insights on the planned Urban Renewal Program of the CIAC.
“Our initiative is to revitalize and enhance the urban landscape within the aviation complex inside Clark, applying modern urban planning principles to foster sustainability, optimize land utilization, and enhance the overall quality of life for the community,” Perez added.
The CIAC Business Team also toured the Union Station for benchmarking of the CIAC’s planned Multi-Modal Mobility Hub to be constructed near the world-class Clark International Airport.
Union Station is Canada’s busiest, multi-modal passenger transportation hub, a designated national historic site and a significant part of Toronto’s history and identity. More than a quarter-million people use Union Station daily.
The CIAC Multi-modal Mobility Hub is envisioned as a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) that seamlessly integrates diverse transportation modes and mixed-use facilities, promoting sustainability and improving the quality of life for the community.
The CIAC Business Team was also toured by Julian Franklin, Vice President of the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment⸺one of the world’s premier sports and entertainment companies⸺along with Jennifer Sullivan, VP for Stadium Operations at the Scotiabank Arena in Ontario, Canada, as part of the benchmarking studies by the CIAC for its plan to construct the Clark Entertainment and Events Hub at the Clark civil aviation complex.
Scotiabank Arena, formerly known as Air Canada Centre, is a multi-purposed arena which is the home of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association and the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League, both owned by MLSE, along with the Toronto FC (MLS), Toronto Argonauts (CFL), Toronto Marlies (AHL), Raptors 905 (NBA G League), TFC II (MLS Next Pro) and Raptors Uprising Gaming Club, and the Toronto Raptors esports franchise in the NBA 2K League.
“The planned Clark Entertainment and Events Hub is CIAC’s visionary initiative to redefine the Clark International Airport and its surrounding areas which will turn Clark into a dynamic urban hub, emphasizing enhancing transportation infrastructure, connectivity, sustainable tourism, and economic growth,” Perez said.
The project’s components, including the Convention Center, Indoor Sports Arena, Multi-modal Mobility Hub, and Clark Airport Mall, address diverse needs, from hosting international events and sports activities to improving mobility, commercial offerings, and entertainment amenities.
The stadium tour is also part of a series of the CIAC team’s business meetings and on-site project visits with different industries engaged in aviation- and non-aviation related businesses.
