New global gateway rises north of Manila

MANILA, Philippines - There are a number of developments expected in the coming 24 months at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, owing largely to Global Gateway Logistics City, a 177-hectare master planned mixed use aviation oriented logistics and business center of excellence.

Global Gateway, also known as GGLC is located in the Clark Freeport Zone, just 60 minutes north of Manila.

The developer of the area, American firm Peregrine Development International is optimistic that there would be a lot of expansion of the different businesses in Clark once GGLC is fully developed.

Peregrine Development International Inc. conceived the project in 2006 and completed the feasibility study and master plan in 2007. It was presented to KGL Investment Co., the investment arm of one of Kuwait’s largest and most respected logistic groups for financing and ownership.

According to information provided by Peregrine, KGLI signed a memorandum of agreement in April 2008 and the lease with Clark International Airport Corporation in July 2008.

KGLI, for its part, retained Peregrine Development International Inc. as the exclusive program and project manager, prime contractor and developer. “Peregrine is intimately familiar with the site and project, and more importantly, has an executive team that has experience and knowledge of operations in the Philippines since 1972,” it said.

Peregrine tapped Palafox Associates, the leading Philippine Architecture and Engineering Company to do the detailed design and assist in the planning of the project.

In an e-mail interview with The Star, Dennis Wright, president of Peregrine Development International noted that there are many developments in and outside of Clark, partly because of the GGLC project.

“Clark is booming both inside and outside the confines of Clark, consider in just four years, Clark has two major malls, SM and Ayala Marquee, a new TGIF restaurant, many new condos, residential, large office buildings and in Clark, the GGLC project, Texas Instruments, Samsung’s Airlines’ new hangars and much, much more. There’s all this flight and commercial development,” Wright said.

To date, the planning and design of the infrastructure has been completed, as has 100 percent of the site preparation. This consisted of removal of old derelict structures, grubbing and leveling of the site and removal of trees and other forms of interference.

Furthermore, all major road networks, storm culverts and utility corridors have been laid-out, with many to the sub-base level.

According to Peregrine, two formal grand entry markers with signage, fountains and landscaping marking the entry of the project have been erected. Road and utility corridor construction continues and ready to receive the final layer of Cement Treated Base. Planning and design has begun on several of the vertical structures and facilities, including a 200 bed hospital, BPO campus, several office buildings and commercial center, with the start of construction scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2010.

GGLC, as planned by Peregrine, will offer the perfect blend of prime real estate and facilities for one’s business needs.

There is a logistics park that would cater to warehousing, distribution and light manufacturing operations and a business park for office requirements. There is also an aero park home for research and development, modeling and simulation and centers of higher learning. The last part is the town center which will host retail and shopping needs.

The blueprint crafted by Peregrine also showed that GGLC will host business enterprises and operations with priority given to aviation and logistics related businesses, including but not limited to warehousing, distribution, transportation and related logistics.

There will be a lot of activities in the areas of aviation.

“Over 4,500,000 square meters of turnkey facilities, ranging from warehouses and light industrial facilities to modern office buildings and commercial and retail outlets are being design-built for direct lease to locators,” Peregrine also said.

In 2008, then President Arroyo, inaugurated the groundbreaking ceremony. Sheikh Ahmad Dawood Salman Al Sabah, a member of Kuwait’s royal and ruling family also attended representing the government of Kuwait. The ceremony was well attended by numerous dignitaries from both government and industry and over 1,000 attendees.

Last December, Medical City also had a groundbreaking ceremony there.

In the coming months, Peregrine’s Wright said, GGLC will be breaking ground on a retail and commercial section and have several other locators in the final stages of lease negotiations.

Indeed, Clark is one booming place with the help of GGLC.