Former Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio “Ipe” Remollo forcefully
brushed aside “wild speculations” on his imminent departure from
Clark Development Corporation, which he serves as President and
Chief Executive Officer, by stressing that he is leaving CDC to take on
a more daunting but rewarding task of “creating tourism economic zones that will generate more jobs for Filipinos in the countryside.”
Remollo took exception
to some reports that he
was eased out from Clark
to accommodate former
AFP Chief-of-Staff
Eduardo Oban, Jr. and that
Transportation and Communication
Secretary Mar
Roxas was unable to keep
him in the post.
He clarified that Oban
was never appointed to replace
him, but rather, the
former General replaced
Cesar Villanueva as Chairman
of the Board of Directors.
Villanueva has been elevated
to a Cabinet rank as
head of the Commission on
Good Governance for
GOCCs. Furthermore,
Remollo also resigned as
Vice-Chairman of the Clark
International Airport Corporation.
His superiors tried to
dissuade him from leaving
but failed. Hence, Oban
was also designated as
CDC’s Officer-in-Charge.
The former city mayor,
who is also the Liberal Provincial
Party Chairman of
Negros Oriental, said that
his decision to resign effective
this month was voluntary to join a group of volunteer
master planners and focus
on his passion to help local and
foreign investors to establish
new tourism economic zones all
over the country by securing the
approval of his good friend,
Mark Lapid, who heads the
Tourism Infrastructure Enterprises
Zone Authority.
New tourism economic
zones enjoy 12 years of income
tax holiday and the investors,
especially the foreigners, can
get to own the lands where the
zones are erected, unlike in
Clark where locators can only
lease the lots.
He stressed that by establishing
new zones in the provinces
for medical and sports tourism, hotels, theme and ecological
parks, Metro Manila
will be decongested of squatters
as there will be more job opportunities
in the countryside.
Remollo said that the most
persistent Local Government
Units wanting to establish such
zones are the provinces of
Tarlac, Pampanga, Siquijor and
Butuan City. However, he
maintains that Negros Oriental
and Bais City will not be left
behind provided that the local
leaderships would show adequate
reception to the idea.
Under his leadership,
Clark Development Corporation
was able to double the revenues
remitted to the national
coffers by P200 million; increased
its exports by 161%
while the rest of the country decreased
by 6%; 207 new contracts
were sealed translating to
P34 billion new investments; he
also presided over 14 expansion
projects and transformed Clark
into a major sports tourism hub,
thereby eclipsing the popularity
of Subic.
Nevertheless, while Remollo leaves Clark as one of
its most dynamic Presidents, he
hints of returning in government
service through the intercession
of DOTC Secretary
Mar Roxas while remaining active
in using the unique and
promising opportunities of
TIEZA, which if fully harnessed,
would propel local
communities to greater economic
heights.(By Dems
Demecillo)
Former Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio “Ipe” Remollo forcefully
brushed aside “wild speculations” on his imminent departure from
Clark Development Corporation, which he serves as President and
Chief Executive Officer, by stressing that he is leaving CDC to take on
a more daunting but rewarding task of “creating tourism economic zones that will generate more jobs for Filipinos in the countryside.”