INTRODUCTION
Mayap a abac pu quecayo ngan (A pleasant good morning to everyone).

I am delighted to be with you here in this historical landmark, once the site of the largest American air base outside the United States mainland.

Not too long ago, we used to hear from this place the sonic boom of US jets as they broke the sound barrier.

Now we hope to soon experience here, if we are not now well into it altogether, another boom — that of a bustling business and trade center where our people rely on their own strength to build the future.

Before the turn of the century, this place was a wide expanse of forest and grassland waiting to be further developed into agricultural fields and be a source of sustenance for our forebears and their children.

Then in 1902, US forces, who cut short our great attempt at independence and self-rule led by President Emilio Aguinaldo, began using it as a pasture land for their cavalry horses. The President of the United States, who was then Theodore Roosevelt, declared it a reservation area and named it Fort Stotsenberg. Later, the whole complex was renamed Clark field in honor of a young US pilot who died in World War I. During the liberation of Luzon in World War II, the Americans reclaimed Clark Field from the Japanese Imperial Army. It eventually became known as Clark Air Base, the home of the US 13th Air Force in the Pacific.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF CLARK
In my view, the metamorphosis of this place has gone full circle.

From the verdant and fertile pastures where our grandfathers planted their crops, it became enclosed as an exclusive domain of the Americans.

Today, Clark Field now comes back to Filipinos resplendent and full of potentials where we can sow the seeds of our aspirations and endeavors to reap a rich and bountiful harvest for the future.

Exactly three years ago, long-dormant Mt. Pinatubo started spewing out millions of cubic meters of volcanic ash in a rampage of mother nature. But even that great calamity has not deterred us from developing Clark and the surrounding community. One year ago, to carry out the renewal and development of this area, I ordered the establishment of the Clark Development Corporation (CDC).

Our countrymen’s eyes are now focused on the full transformation of Clark Field and its environs. Here we share a vision which only a few years ago, seemed to be too remote and too ambitious — to convert it into a world class premier international aviation complex and a modern industrial, tourism and business center.

From this former US air base, we hope to establish a Filipino business stronghold that will spur the socio-economic development of Central Luzon and provide a springboard for the industrialization of this region and the rest of the country.

In doing so, we expect to generate more jobs and business activity for our people. We want this place to be the gateway of opportunity for our people — so that they can become more productive and prosperous. We want to empower them to break the chains of poverty and dependency.
THE PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION OF 1998
We are at a most challenging stage of our country’s economic history.

In order to prove equal to the challenges we face, we need to retrace our past, to return to our basic values and principles.

We must bring back and take to heart our strong commitment to social and economic progress, to prudence and self-discipline, to pride in ourselves as a people, to the responsibilities of citizenship and to the ideals of national unity and social cohesion.

The challenges we now face and will face in the years ahead we must solve together. Only if we work together and remain united can we achieve the national well-being and dignity we deserve.

We are bullish about Clark’s development. We are so confident of its ability to bounce back that we are already looking forward to its participation in national and international activities in the near future.

The time capsule we lowered minutes ago marks the site of the Philippine International Exposition which will be held here in June, 1998, as part of our Independence Centennial celebration. We are so sure of Clark’s success that we have already assigned to it a significant part in showcasing the best efforts of Filipinos when we celebrate the 100th year of our independence.
STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES
Here in this Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ), we are fortunate to have in our hands certain competitive advantages that will help us in achieving our vision.

One is the zone’s strategic location, which the Americans found so advantageous in helping maintain regional security. We too can employ this advantage to better position ourselves in the peaceful endeavors of advancing trade, tourism and investment. Then, there is Clark’s twin center of growth which is Subic, soon to be connected with an expressway to the Pampanga-Bulacan-Manila area.

But certainly far more important than strategic location is the high quality of skilled workers available in the area and the resourcefulness of the people.

We can and we must use our competitive edge and strategic advantages to bring us closer to our goal of making Luzon the gateway to Asia and the Pacific region.

Now that our economy has improved and we have subdued some difficult problems — like the insurgency and the power crisis — we are filled with greater confidence that we will steadily surge ahead.

Now, we have the unique opportunity to carve our own future, leaning no more on others for our sustenance. Let us therefore make Clark, which used to be a symbol of our colonial status and dependency, become the vanguard of our unity, strength and resolve.

Mabuhay ang Clark! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!