Expo Pilipino to reopen

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — "Clark para sa masa (for the masses)."

With this concept, officials of the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) have announced the soft opening of the moth—balled Expo Pilipino theme park on Dec. 8, alongside the holding of the 4th national duathlon championships, the biggest duathlon event in the country, at the Clark special economic zone.

For its reopening, the theme park, built at an estimated cost of P6 billion, will be renamed Clark Expo, the CDC said.

Details of the park’s soft opening were not immediately available, but sources said trade fairs showcasing the various products of Northern Luzon will be featured.

CDC officials have been prepping up Clark as a destination for both domestic and foreign tourists.

In a recent meeting with the Metro Clark Advisory Council composed of local government executives from towns around the ecozone, CDC president and chief executive officer Antonio Ng underscored the concept of "Clark para sa masa" as a vital component of their tourism campaign.

Expo Pilipino was built during the Ramos administration as a supposed "centerpiece" venue of the commemoration of the Philippine Independence centennial in 1998, but alleged anomalies in its construction derailed its full completion.

In 1999, former President Joseph Estrada ordered it shut down amid losses.

The main park features a huge, teflon-roofed amphitheater that can accommodate 35,000 people.

CDC officials said the park’s grand opening is slated on April 9 next year, coinciding with the opening of the P500-million SM City mall here.

The soft opening on Dec. 8 will coincide with the kick-off of the 4th Clark national duathlon championships sponsored by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP).

TRAP president Tomas Carrasco Jr. said some 300 athletes from all over the country are expected to participate in the duathlon.

The winners in the national event will represent the country in the 2006 Asian duathlon championships, which will also be at the Clark ecozone. The regional winners will, in turn, join the world championships later that year in Canada.

He said the Asian duathlon event is tentatively scheduled on April 9 next year, in time for the grand reopening of Clark Expo.