ENVISIONING ONE CLARK

His appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) on June 2, 2023, came as no surprise.

After all, PCEO Joshua M. Bingcang is a pioneer and homegrown licensed electrical engineer, whose expertise has been helping the BCDA grow for the past 27 years.

By Annie Rose A. Laborte

PCEO Bingcang is an expert in handling high-impact development projects in various capacities. Among these projects are the construction of the Subic-ClarkTarlac Expressway (SCTEX), the construction of the first phase of the National Government Administrative Center in New Clark City; and the expansion of Clark International Airport, and continued development of the Clark Freeport Zone.

PCEO “Jake,” as he is dearly called by colleagues and BCDA employees, granted the Collective a one-on-one interview.

What is your vision for the BCDA?

I really believe that the BCDA can play an important role in nation-building and economic development…[Now,] I have this plan to consolidate all resources for Clark. We call it One Clark…I talked to the heads of our subsidiaries in Clark that we should consolidate our resources to provide the scale needed for plans and programs that will hugely impact our country’s social and economic development, and, in effect, be of legacy to this administration…We have all the resources in Clark—the land, the people, the infrastructure—which, if properly [developed], can compete in Southeast Asia. Of course, when we say One Clark, we are not forgetting or neglecting the other economic zones… We will make sure to commit ourselves towards delivering this vision to this administration in the next five years.

What are the challenges, if any, that you see as we position ourselves to embark on this One Clark Program?

Of course, there’s always competition around the region. We see Singapore [and] Vietnam, fighting for foreign direct investments…For One Clark, [we have to] make sure that we get the support needed, not just from the Office of the President, but also from the legislative body of the government— so that we will be able to update or upgrade our mandate to make it even more responsive or more attuned to the needs of the times.

Further, we have to make sure that we implement, as soon as possible, the needed infrastructure, not just the roads, but also the utilities, such as power, water, and ICT (information communication technology). We have to make sure these are not just reliable, but also affordable, to make the country competitive in attracting investments within the region.

How do you envision Clark as a tourism and sports hub?

Of course, Clark already has its brand equity. When you say 'Clark,' it’s already a premier brand in terms of development. People would associate it with tourism activities, including sports activities and even food delicacies. [These] attract people from all walks of life to go to Clark.

One of the assets of Clark is the Clark International Airport (CRK). We are very proud that we, the BCDA, led in the development or the completion of the New Passenger Terminal Building. The Clark airport expansion project is one successful PPP (public-private partnership) endeavor.

We continue the sustained passenger growth, and foresee further potential growth in passenger traffic. With that, we see all these initial developments within Clark elevate it to even greater heights. But we need more facilities, such as convention centers, more hotels. We will see to it, as part of the One Clark vision, to study and develop these areas and invite private sector participation, where the BCDA is very strong.