By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter
THE Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) said it hopes to award the National Food Hub project to a private partner by the end of 2025, keeping it on track for first-phase completion before the Marcos administration steps down.
CIAC President Joseph P. Alcazar said that the feasibility study being conducted by the Asian Development Bank is due for completion by March.
“After we get that, then we will steam ahead with the development and invite investors. The feasibility study is important for us to be able to do a proper tender for the food hub,” Mr. Alcazar told reporters on Tuesday.
“After the feasibility study we will be entertaining public-private partnership proposals,” he added.
He said the project has received inquiries from foreign firms with local partners.
“Nothing is official… there are no letters of intent yet. But there are two or three groups trying to explore what needs to be done,” he said.
“There are foreign firms, and most of the foreign firms have local partners. I think with the amount of investment that is needed, there will definitely be foreign components,” he added.
He said studying the proposals takes around three to six months, including the Swiss challenges.
“Hopefully before 2025 ends, we have a partner already. That’s our timeline,” he said.
“The ultimate objective is to be able to launch at least a phase of it within the term of the President. But of course, we will push for as much infrastructure to be built. But at least the first phase should be there by that time,” he added.
He said that the food hub needs infrastructure like roads and access.
He said the CIAC is also batting for the passage of the Clark National Food Hub Act to establish a comprehensive program for the management and operation of the food hub and its strategic nationwide trading network.
“Part of (the bill) is the allocation of budget for the National Food Hub and the additional incentives over and above CREATE MORE for the investors and the locators of the food hub,” he added.
Signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., CREATE MORE, or the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy Act, aims to attract more investment by lowering the corporate income tax to 20%, among others.
Written by Representatives Rufus B. Rodriguez, Maria Angela S. Garcia, and Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon, the food hub act, or House Bill 10678, is currently with the House Committee on Trade and Industry.