FVR defends Expo, hits growth derailment

"History will be my best judge."

Former President Fidel Ramos said this yesterday as he defended the controversial Expo Filipino project in Clark Field, Pampanga while accusing the Estrada administration of derailing the overall growth of the Central Luzon region.

In his speech at the inter-city meeting of Rotary Clubs in Angeles, Pampanga, Ramos said history will vindicate his administration's foresight in developing areas around the former US military bases of Clark Field and Subic Bay in Zambales.

"History will be the best judge as to whether it is meritorious or just another scam," he said, referring to the Expo Filipino which he compared to other renowned landmarks like the Eiffel Tower of Paris, the Golden Gate of San Francisco and the Opera House in Sydney.

"This should be viewed as a long-term investment, not as a one-time expense," he stressed.

Ramos shrugged off the ongoing Senate probe into alleged anomalies surrounding the Expo as he advised President Estrada to fast track Central Luzon's masterplan which he said has won the nod of many development agencies.

Emphasizing the importance of infrastructure investments, he said the proposed Zambales-Bataan-Pampanga-Tarlac-Bulacan-Nueva Ecija corridor would harness the full potential of Central and Northern Luzon and compensate for the lingering effects of damage from lahar and periodic floods.

"Clark can be a center for light manufacturing, especially in computer hardware and software engineering, as well as the production of high-value products," he said.

Aside from this, Ramos added that the former US air base could provide the country with an economic niche in white-collar services like information technology, accountancy and design and create a hub for professional, health, home care and tourism sectors.

Citing thriving Philippine-based back-office operations for a number of the world's largest companies, Ramos urged national leaders to plan for a projected $180-billion demand for this by the year 2010.

"The proposed expressway linking Clark and Subic could attract investments needed for a globally competitive regional economic base, with Clark becoming a major passenger and cargo airport and Subic a world-class container port," he said.

Ramos noted further that the sprawling Clark Special Economic Zone should operate its aviation transport hub simultaneously with the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, with rail and highway links that would improve the flow of traffic to other markets.

And he said opening alternate routes to Tarlac and Pangasinan from Pampanga could direct progress towards northern Luzon.

The former president, however, warned that a "general backslide to the protectionist and feudal practices of the past" has held down national development, making the country once more the laggard among Asian nations.

He pointed out that while the Philippines was the least affected by the Asian financial crisis, its rebound appeared to be one of the weakest.

"Philippine incremental growth pales beside the determined effort of our more battered neighbors," he said.

He explained that the country's growth from 0.5 percent in 1998 to 4.5 percent last year was "nothing" when compared to South Korea's negative six to 9.5 percent and Thailand's negative seven to five percent. -- With Marichu Villanueva