A delegation from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has urged two of Italy’s top business associations, Confindustria and The European House Ambrosetti, to set their sights on New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac as well as its other Clark developments as emerging investment destinations for those looking to set up or expand their business in the Philippines.
Confindustria is Italy’s main association representing manufacturing and service companies, with a voluntary membership of over 150,000 firms. The European House Ambrosetti, meanwhile, is a leading Italian management consulting firm supported by a series of strategic alliances and an external network of worldwide renowned advisors.
The series of business-to-business meetings were held in October 2023 during a BCDA-led outbound investment promotion mission in Rome, Italy. The BCDA delegation, led by Director Atty. Larry Paredes, also paid a courtesy visit to Philippine Ambassador to Italy H.E. Nathaniel G. Imperial, who declared his commitment to pitch the Philippines as an ideal investment hub for Italian businesspeople and support the BCDA in promoting its development projects.
In support of this vision, BCDA Vice President for Public Affairs Leilani Barlongay-Macasaet laid out the organization’s comprehensive plans for New Clark City, Clark Freeport Zone, and Clark International Airport to Italian investors and financial institutions in Rome, where she highlighted the potential for collaboration in the public-private partnerships in the organization’s development projects in Clark.
“BCDA fully supports the Philippine Embassy in its bid to pitch the Philippines as an investment destination for Italian businesses. Particularly, BCDA's flagship project, New Clark City, offers investment opportunities in manufacturing, logistics, agri-industrial, property development, and renewable energy, among others,” said Ms. Barlongay-Macasaet.
Among the Clark development projects pitched were the 100-hectare mixed-use Clark Central Business District in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, 35-hectare affordable residential complex in New Clark City in Tarlac, 22-hectare Clark International Convention and Exhibition Complex, New Clark City Common ICT Infrastructure, and data center colocation facility in New Clark City, among others.
On the sidelines of the B2B meetings, the BCDA delegation also toured Rome’s largest sports facility, Stadio Olimpico, to study its best practices in terms of operations and management, which the organization can implement in New Clark City Athletics Stadium and other sports facilities.