Clark Development Corporation (CDC) convened stakeholders to the first Clark Security Advisory Council meeting to beef up security measures within Clark Freeport Zone. During the meeting, CDC President and CEO Agnes Devanadera stressed the importance of collaboration or the whole-of-government approach in addressing pressing issues concerning the Freeport.
She added that it is important that the agencies involved gained a better perspective of their mandates so that they can properly identify areas to strengthen collaboration and streamline processes for efficiency.
“We invited law enforcement agencies and PAGCOR [Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation] to form an advisory council to Clark, since geographically, they operate within Clark. We learned our lesson that the coordination must be strengthened among us because one finding of one agency should be pushed forward by another agency, and it is only within a very strong coordination that we will be able to address more effectively the problems that threaten security,” Devanadera said.
To formalize this collaboration and ensure a unified approach, CDC will facilitate a Memorandum of Agreement among the participating agencies to serve as a framework for inter-agency cooperation and enhance the effectiveness of the Clark Security Advisory Council.
“When one agency completes its work, it often leads to the beginning of work for another agency. This seamless workflow is a direct result of our collaborative efforts during this initial meeting,” the CDC executive said.
Meanwhile, Devanadera also lauded the commitment of the agencies involved, highlighting the ongoing efforts to repatriate victims of human trafficking and the increased emphasis on addressing violations related to the Sun Valley Clark Hub Corporation.
She also shared that the CDC management recommended to the Board to suspend the acceptance and processing of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) operations as a business until the CDC can ensure effective monitoring.
Relative to this, Devanadera said that CDC and its partners are working to review and strengthen the parameters for the issuance of visa so that this will not be prone to abuses, while at the same time ensuring that ease of doing business is still observed.
PAGCOR Assistant Vice President for the Offshore Gaming and Licensing Department Jessa Fernandez said that PAGCOR is currently undergoing a major business restructuring, which involves a review of the policies governing POGO operations. (PIA 3)
