CDC president bids goodbye

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — Clark Development Corp. president and chief executive officer Antonio Ng bade goodbye to employees of the state-run firm yesterday.

Ng, who had occupied the top CDC position for 18 months, tendered his resignation and went on leave starting last Monday.

In an e-mail to his fellow CDC officials and employees, Ng said, "We had a great ride and a great time together as we tried to create jobs and economic activity for Clark to address poverty in Pampanga and in the country."

He thanked the CDC personnel for their "support and cooperation," saying, "Ministers and leaders of government may come and go, but the organization and bureaucracy stays to run the business of government with dedication, consistency and predictability."

"You are playing that role. You are the mainstay, the foundation for better governance," he added.

Meanwhile, at the Bayanihan Park at the main gate of the Clark special economic zone, streamers welcomed the appointment of Capampangan businessman Liberato Laus as Ng’s replacement effective Oct. 1.

Former CDC president and CEO Emmanuel Angeles, now the chancellor of the Angeles University Foundation, lauded President Arroyo’s appointment of Laus.

"The people of Pampanga and the rest of Central Luzon are happy about this development, as we will support him," he said.

Ng’s executive vice president, Jose Victor Luciano, also a Capampangan from Magalang town, was appointed a week ago as the president of the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC), a CDC subsidiary.

Pending the appointment of his replacement, Luciano remains as CDC executive vice president in a concurrent capacity.

Earlier, the President also appointed another cabalen, Alex Cauguiran, as CIAC executive vice president, a position especially created for him.

Cauguiran, a former activist and later councilor of Angeles City, used to chair the Move Clark Now Movement which batted for the immediate conversion of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport into one of the country’s premier international gateways.

Laus’s wife, Ma. Theresa, has been known to be one of the President’s political supporters in Pampanga.

Last year, the President appointed Laus as a member of the Advocacy Commission for Charter Change.

At present, Laus is the chairman of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the San Fernando Heritage Foundation, and co-chairman of the Pampanga Investments Board.