Clark Freeport—The Clark International Airport Corporation will put up a trading center where locally-made products in Central Luzon would be displayed for sale in its bid to help the local economy, official said in a statement.
The project will be built on a 20,000-square-meter lot within the aviation complex formerly occupied by vendors of farm fresh products of Pampanga, said CIAC President and CEO Aaron Aquino.
Aquino earlier ordered the immediate demolition of unwanted structures within the aviation complex that he considered as eyesores, including the rickety wet market situated near the Clark International Airport.
“Illegal settlers and vendors took advantage of the abandoned building so these prohibited structures have to go for two main reasons — the condemned building endangers lives, and these shanties are just plain and simple ugly,” Aquino said.
He added that CIAC is drawing up plans to build a modern site, citing that future locators of the new commercial area may include a showroom for locally-made delicacies and products.
The once popular destination of farm-fresh produce inside Clark, especially during weekends, was cleared of illegal structures on Saturday.
Aquino also demolished makeshift eateries in every nook and corner of the aviation complex.
“When everyone else was clearing debris from the aftermath (of typhoon “Ulysses”), we cleared the frontage of this iconic commercial site from ugly shanties and shacks,” Aquino said.
The Clark Farm Fresh Market, popularly known as the Candaba wet market, was established in 2011. The site was a joint project of the provincial government of Pampanga and the Clark Development Corp. and was frequented by locals and tourists looking for fresh produce from Candaba town.
Since the CDC declared the dilapidated site a condemned building in 2019, CIAC has cordoned off the site as a deterrent to illegal occupants. The move was the latest in a series of jobs by CIAC to rid the Clark Civil Aviation Complex of eyesores.