The Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) is targeting to bring American global pop icon Taylor Swift as the inaugural concert in its planned CIAC Arena inside the mulled CIAC Entertainment Complex eyed to be finished in 2028.

During the Build Better Infrastructure Forum in New Clark City, Tarlac on Friday, Arrey Perez, president and CEO of CIAC said they will be shelling out P32 billion for the construction of the 40-hectare Clark Entertainment Complex, enclosed in a multi-modal terminal that has the Clark Airport Mall, Clark Aviation School, housing, among others.

“When we had this vision to have an entertainment center in Clark, we already did a lot of promotion and market sensing and missions. We’ve secured some interest from United States and Singaporean companies, as well as one local firm,” Perez said.

He said the complex will be a public-private partnership, and these local and international firms signified their interest in the project in November 2023.

“We will need a partnership with the private sector to build the project. We have to court Taylor Swift as she has restrictions because her rights were already bought by Singapore in Southeast Asia. We hope that by the time we finish the arena, we are ready and we can get Taylor Swift,” Perez stressed, adding that the American singer’s industry is $1.4 billion industry per annum.

The arena, according to Perez, has the ideal capacity of 25,000 to 35,000 seating capacity, as it is very hard to fill the more than 50,000 seating capacity, based on their study.

“The Philippines has been a music-loving country and whenever there are international concerts, it’s a boom. The Clark Airport can help in this dream of bringing concert viewers here,” he added.

Perez said they are dreaming of bringing Taylor Swift, among other international and local concert acts into the Clark Complex, as the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena in Bulacan causes traffic jams to the main gateway to the North, the North Luzon Expressway.

“Apart from that, Clark needs more attractions to attract more passengers and airline companies to Clark Airport, as my mandate is to make sure that Clark Airport will grow. Entertainment is not our business but all these developments are meant to support the CRK,” he maintained.

CIAC is an attached agency of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.