President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to submit opening timelines for unfinished investments in Clark, Pampanga, as the government seeks to ensure projects are completed and deliver jobs and economic opportunities.
Marcos issued the directive during the inauguration of United Parcel Service's UPS International Air Hub at Clark International Airport on Thursday, citing the need to ensure investments are completed on schedule.
“Big investments like this, however, (are) often announced but slow to finish. But this is being changed. When an investor promises a project, it is our job to ensure it opens on schedule,” Marcos said.
“This one certainly did,” he added, referring to the new UPS facility.
The President said he had directed the BCDA and DTI to report every unfinished Clark investment with an opening date.
The UPS hub represents an investment of more than USD80 million and spans 30,000 square meters, 15 times the size of the company’s previous Clark facility. It can process up to 15,000 packages per hour and is expected to handle an average of 46,000 packages daily.
Its operations are expected to support 170 weekly flight segments to and from Clark, improving connections to markets in Asia-Pacific, India, Europe, and the United States. Selected routes serving China, Southeast Asia, and India are expected to see transit times shortened by up to two days.
The facility is equipped with automated sorting systems, temperature-controlled areas, and UPS Premier radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology for time- and temperature-sensitive shipments, including medicines and other high-value healthcare products.
Marcos said investments such as the UPS hub could create employment and business opportunities outside Metro Manila, where he noted that skilled jobs can be difficult to find.
He also cited the DTI’s Supply Chain and Logistics Center, which provides businesses with information and assistance on suppliers and logistics service providers, as well as the proposed Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas Railway, which aims to connect major ports through an integrated freight network.
The President said improving logistics infrastructure was critical to addressing the country’s high cost of moving goods. He cited logistics costs of up to 27 percent of sales, alongside congested ports, inadequate road networks, and insufficient cold-chain facilities as factors contributing to delays and higher costs for consumers.
Efficient logistics, he said, is particularly important for an archipelagic country like the Philippines, where timely deliveries of food, medicines, and other essential goods become even more critical during calamities and potential supply disruptions brought by the projected "very strong" El Niño.
Marcos urged businesses to continue investing in the country, saying the government was committed to improving the business environment and strengthening domestic and international logistics connectivity. (PNA)