Clark Freeport – This Freeport moves another step closer to becoming a smart city, a premier aerotropolis and a preferred tourism destination as it strengthens partnership with one of the leading telecommunications, service, and utility providers in the region.
Setting sights on improved systems and service standards here, Clark Development Corporation (CDC) President and CEO Manuel R. Gaerlan recently met with PLDT Chairman and CEO Manny V. Pangilinan and discussed various undertakings that will boost ICT capabilities and future-proof the Freeport.
Gaerlan said PLDT is one of the most important partners of the state-owned firm as it will significantly contribute to making the Freeport a smart and technology-focused investment destination.
On top of telecom projects, the meeting also tackled other utilities such as fuel distribution in Clark.
This Freeport is host to Clark Telecom, a subsidiary of PLDT, considered one of the leading internet and telecom services providers in Clark. The 92-year company was also present during the presence of American troops inside the former US airbase.
PLDT also rolled out the very first 5G service in the country inside Clark in 2018, making the Freeport lay a foothold on reliable and extremely high speed with low latency internet connection. 5G service is key in achieving IOT (internet of things) that create smart cities.
In 2017, a P1.3-billion Vitro Data Center Clark was launched by ePLDT here. The facility is the first Rated-3 data center facility outside Metro Manila, based on TIA-942 standards. This certification is given to data centers that are concurrently maintainable in design, which means each component that is part of the distribution path can be removed, replaced, or serviced on a planned basis without any disruption in the client’s ICT capabilities.
Meanwhile, the MVP Group of Companies, which is also chaired by Pangilinan, has also poured in various investments and interests in the Freeport. Some of these are the Clark Electric Distribution Corporation (Meralco), e-PLDT, and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF).
The PDRF is being supported by PLDT-SMART and other networks of conglomerates that maintain collaborative efforts to assist in disaster management and preparedness in the country.
It features a command center, which harnesses data from local and international sources to monitor earthquakes, tropical cyclones, volcanic eruptions and pandemics and maps data on public infrastructure to help protect them from hazards.