UN WFP-funded warehouse to rise in Clark

MANILA, Philippines - A United Nations World Food Program-funded warehouse will soon rise in the Clark Freeport Zone to support the government in its emergency response initiatives, the Clark Development Corp. said.

In a letter sent to the agency, CDC said the UN WFP requested for assistance to identify a 3,500-square meter area inside the Clark Freeport Zone which shall become the site for the warehouse project.

The site will serve as a food packing center for packages and relief goods during times of calamities, CDC said.

CDC said the UN WFP would shoulder the cost of construction and equipment for the warehouse project.

Once the warehouse is built and staff are trained, the UN WFP will donate the facility to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Clark has been chosen as one of the three strategic locations for a disaster response center in the national network which also includes Cebu and General Santos.

The disaster response center project is seen to support the government in its emergency response capacity following the destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Visayas region and also in preparation for a possible 7.2 magnitude earthquake predicted to hit Quezon City and Metro Manila.

CDC said the warehouse project would also be complementing the plans and activities of the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation in initiating public and private partnerships that would benefit the government and Filipinos in a calamity situation.

PDRF co-chair and business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan earlier underscored the importance of the national center in Clark for the country’s disaster preparedness and rehabilitation.