The Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) and Philippine Pharma Procurement Inc. (PPPI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Monday, signaling their intent to jointly establish a pharmaceutical logistics and distribution center within the Clark Aviation Capital (CAC) at the Clark Freeport Zone.

With the signing of the MOU, CIAC aims to strengthen its transformation into the country’s premier logistics hub.

CIAC President Jojit Alcazar noted that both CIAC and PPPI will further explore investment plans, joint ventures, or Public-Private Partnership (PPP) options, while ensuring compliance with pharmaceutical industry regulations and cold chain management standards.

“There’s a mutual appreciation of Clark’s distinctly viable location to build a pharmaceutical logistics hub with air cargo handling capabilities — main reasons which moved us swiftly to formalize this understanding,” Alcazar said.

Alcazar and PPPI President Maria Blanca Kim Lokin signed the MOU at the PPPI headquarters in Makati City in the presence of CIAC directors Glenn Albano, Victor Manuel, and Rommel Ma. Santiago, together with CIAC Senior Executive Assistant Atty. Marie Elizabeth Lotilla, Chief Strategic Urban Planner Melissa Feliciano, other PPPI representatives, and CIAC personnel.

"We look forward to this great opportunity as Clark’s strategic location provides a sprawling and uncongested complex in close proximity to Clark International Airport, major seaports, and national road networks in a disaster-resilient environment,” Lokin said.

“This opportunity provides unparalleled advantage for PPPI’s logistics operations and medical supply distribution, and ideal for us to build an integrated modern warehousing with cold chain solutions,” she added.

“Further, this partnership will support President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s vision to establish pharmaceutical ecozones with the end in view of improving access to medicines and reducing the country’s dependence on imported pharmaceutical products. The developments to be jointly made by PPPI and CIAC will be instrumental in the roll-out of the Botika at Bakuna Para Sa Mamamayan Program,” Lokin noted.

“Clark hosts global cargo leaders FedEX, UPS, and DHL, and this collaboration with the only government-run pharmaceutical company in the country further positions CIAC to be the premier global civil aviation logistics hub of the Philippines,” Alcazar added.

The Clark Aviation Capital is strategically located at the Clark Freeport Zone and is home to the Clark International Airport.

Because of its strategic location at the heart of Luzon, it is primed as the country’s premier aviation-centric business and logistics center.

Other than accessibility by air, the aviation capital may be reached by road through the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), and by rail through the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) and the planned Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas Cargo Railway.

“With the logistics hub and the Clark airport’s international and domestic routes, healthcare services and affordable medicines for far-flung communities nationwide is ensured, consistent with the eight-point socioeconomic agenda of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on affordable and accessible healthcare for all Filipinos,” Alcazar said.

PPPI is an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and is tasked to manage investments in pharmaceuticals and related commercial ventures to provide low-priced, quality medicine and medical supplies to both government and private hospitals and other health facilities.