Mabalacat mayor holds talks on city’s name

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

MABALACAT – This premier town in the northern part of Pampanga may just end up with a new name as its cityhood status breezes through the final stages of deliberation in Congress.

Mayor Marino Morales has begun his consultative meetings with various sectors and stakeholders of the town to append the name to “Mabalacat Clark” when it finally becomes a city.

“The proposal to have ‘Clark’ … appended … when the town gets approval to become a city would create for the town a global impact and name recall as Clark is popularly known in other parts of the world,” Morales said.

He added that the move would also keep the town responsive to challenges to be globally competitive in terms of trade, skills enhancement, investments and other vital economic factors.

“Mabalacat is home to the Clark Freeport, which, aside from being known as a former US military airbase, was also just recently acknowledged as one of the leading investment destinations in the globe,” Morales said.

Morales was referring to a citation given by the Foreign Direct Investments Magazine of the Financial Times Group of London where Clark was ranked as Top 19 among 700 Freeports in the world and the number 1 ranking in cost-effectiveness and number 7 in overall economic potential.

The 4,440-hectare Clark Freeport was formerly known as the Clark Air base proper. Some 95 percent of the total land area of the Freeport lies within the original territorial jurisdiction of the town.

Morales also cited the presence of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport inside the Freeport, acknowledging Clark to be on the regional and global travel and tourism map.

“Clark is widely known not only by investors but also by key players in the travel industry like airline executives and crew, travelers. Add to this is the fact that the place is well known by both retired and active US service members and their dependents,” added Morales.

Mabalacat first became a town in 1712. It was named after the Balacat tree (Zizyphus Zonulata Balaco), a fourth-class timber. Then, after settlement of a Negrito tribe, the area became a virtual forest of balacat trees.

“Ma-balacat” in Kapampangan means “full of balacats.”

Pampanga first district Rep. Carmelo Lazatin has pushed for the town’s cityhood status in Congress. The town has met requirements in terms of population and revenues as well as land area. (Reynaldo G. Navales)

source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/mabalacat-mayor-holds-talks-citys-name

Clark Wine Center was built in 2003 by Hong Kong-based Yats International Leisure Philippines to become the largest wine shop in Philippines supplying Asia’s wine lovers with fine vintage wines at attractive prices.  Today, this wine shop in Clark Philippines offers over 2000 selections of fine wines from all major wine regions in the world.  As a leading wine supplier in Philippines, Pampanga’s Clark Wine Center offers an incomparable breadth of vintages, wines from back vintages spanning over 50 years.  Clark Wine Center is located in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone adjacent to Angeles City, just 25 minutes from Subic and 45 minutes from Manila.

Wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Alsace, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, Chile and Argentina etc. are well represented in this Clark Wine Shop.

For more information, email Wine@Yats-International.com or visit http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila

Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple:  after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave.  From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City.  From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.