Clark investors express lack of confidence in CDC leadership

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — The Clark Investors and Locators Association (CILA) passed three grievance resolutions yesterday, including one declaring its "loss of confidence" in the current leadership of the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) due to "passivity and ineffectiveness in addressing concerns" of the locators of the Clark special economic zone.

In one of the resolutions, CILA declared its "alarm over the prevalence of crimes against property" in the ecozone, saying that "the rise in crimes against property has caused locators significant losses," prompting some of them "to consider locating elsewhere."

In another resolution, CILA sought the help of President Arroyo to direct concerned government agencies, especially the Civil Aviation Board (CAB), "to review and introduce corrective amendments" to existing policies on the issuance of foreign air carrier permits (FACPs) and other licenses to expedite their processing and release.

The resolutions were signed by CILA president Francisco Villanueva, executive vice president Darwin Manlinit, and directors Aniceto Quimado, Jeannie del Rosario Ng, Joselito Mercado, Teresa Bognot, and Radito Tuazon.

CILA chairman Jonathan Rosenberg, however, did not sign the resolutions for unknown reasons.

Another director, Yoshinori Yoshizawa, was due to arrive yesterday from Japan and was expected to sign the resolutions.

No senior CDC official was immediately available for comment yesterday.

In its resolution expressing loss of confidence in the CDC leadership, the CILA alleged the failure of the CDC top management to be "at the forefront" in lobbying Congress to approve pending legislation that could counter the Supreme Court ruling on July 29 last year declaring that Clark investors are not entitled to tax privileges enjoyed by their counterparts at the Subic Bay Freeport.

The legislation already passed the Lower House, but has remained unacted upon in the Senate.

"The (Supreme Court) ruling, when enforced, will cause the closure of most of the enterprises currently operating inside the (Clark ecozone), thereby resulting in the loss of hundreds of investors, 35,000 jobs, annual exports of about $1.5 billion a year, annual taxes of about P500 million, and the very credibility of the country before local and foreign investors," the CILA resolution stated.

CILA also bewailed the "continued rise in security problems within the zone, rental rates that are above the true market rates, and slow decision process on locators’ concerns."

The group said security at the ecozone is "a main selling point when inviting investors."

Last month, armed men carted off an entire steel vault containing some P1.7 million from the office of a gasoline station near the duty free commercial district here.