So, he is leaving Clark International Airport Corporation as its president and CEO by end of this month.
What a short stint for him at the GOCC sector. And what a loss to government service. Losing a Harvard-trained man, losing a young bright mind who did his part in squeezing ideas, concepts and implementing government conversion programs for the former military bases. All told, as one of the think tanks and implementors at BCDA, the government managed to rake in billions of pesos for the government conversion programs.
Yes, he was involved mainly in the master planning of former military base lands into economic hubs in the Philippines, and contributed in the generation of around ₱200 billion worth of contracts from sales, leases and joint ventures.
These major projects include the Bonifacio Global City, Mckinley Hills, Newport City located in the Philippines’ national capital region; and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway in Central Luzon.
Not to mention his direct management of world-class sports facilities at the New Clark City, and promotion of John Hay in Baguio and Poro Point in La Union as primary eco-tourism hubs in Northern Luzon.
We all know what have become of these projects. They are now the Philippines’ major catalysts for greater development.
Sayang, kung mag stay lang sana siya, yung CIAC Flagship Projects madaling matutupad mga ‘yun.
One must remember that one of them, the Clark National Food Hub, has already been given approval by the House of Representatives. He also managed to get Asian Development Bank, the NEDA and many other agencies on board in this project.
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So where to now? We ask of this guy, a CPA by profession and an urban planner who once served also as Senior Vice President of BCDA.
The man has his lips tightly sealed. In fact, he has made himself scarce already before media.
And so I asked around especially from my contacts in the corporate world in empirical Metro Manila.
A source close to one of the great business leaders of our country said that Arrey will be joining Metro Pacific Tollways.
And that is just a transitory position while waiting for the merger of the major tollways in the country.
“Mas gusto ni boss RSA si Arrey,” says this top corporate man whom I have always high regard of for his outstanding business insights and excellent management skills.
When the tollways of San Miguel Corp. and Metro Pacific Investment Corp. merge, I was told that boss Manny Pangilinan and boss Ramon Ang will be serving as either Chairman or President and Chief Executive Officer (something they, the true gentlemen that they always are, would have to mutually decide on).
Where does Arrey come in? Our source said that he would become the new tollway company’s Chief Operating Officer!
For someone who has been belittled or even mocked at for his great plans at CIAC (like what Noah went through when he was building the Ark when there was not a sign of rain, much more floods), the great visionaries of our time are picking him up probably for what he is capable of achieving. This is to accomplish their plans that would change not just the way we travel by land but also by making the tollways as highways to a more robust economic landscape in the country.
Government loss. Private sector gain. Hooray, Arrey.
