CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga — The number of workers inside this Freeport has reached an all-time high total of 107,694 this year, according to the Clark Development Corporation (CDC).
A report submitted to CDC president and CEO Noel F. Manankil, showed that actual employment in Clark as of November this year was derived from 943 registered enterprises, including some government agencies.
The figure also represents a 12-percent increase as compared to the 93,467 total workers in the same period in 2016.
This is the highest number of workers inside the economic zone since the conversion of Clark Freeport from military facility into a productive commercial complex that started in 1993.
At the peak of stay of American troops in Clark, there were only about 20,000 workers inside the former US military facility, Manankil said.
The increase in manpower is being attributed to the sound investment climate and economic policies of the Duterte administration.
Among the biggest contributor of jobs here are Japanese-owned Nanox Philippines with 7,926 workers; Sutherland Global Services Philippines, Inc. with 6,071; iQor Philippines, Inc. with 5,857; L&T International Group, Phils. Inc. with 5,200; and Yokohama Tire Phils. Inc with 2,858.
The Japanese semiconductor firm Nanox attributed its increase in employment to the signed agreement with CDC and Clark International Airport Corporation for its PHP731-million expansion project here two years ago.
Industrial firms employ the biggest number of workers with 49,055 or 46 percent of the total number of workers while the ICT/business process outsourcing (BOO) firms are the second largest employment contributor with 22,883 or 21 percent.
The employment generation is also expected to increase significantly once the components of the New Clark City project of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) get implemented in the coming years.
New Clark City is the country’s newest development project that will feature mixed-use real estate developments for housing, a business continuity center that would also house national government agencies, an agro-industrial park that will provide a platform for research and development, and the Philippine Sports City inside 9,450-hectare at Clark Special Economic Zone.
Under the “Build, Build, Build” mantra of President Rodrigo Duterte, the BCDA started the construction of PHP9.3-billion passenger terminal project at the Clark International Airport last December 20.
The project is being implemented in partnership with Department of Transportation, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Finance and Department of Budget and Management. (Marna Dagumboy Del Rosario/PNA)
