CLARK  FREEPORT—The P2.9 billion meant to expand the Clark International Airport will be reverted to the general funds by year-end if it is not be spent.

Former Pampanga Rep. Joseller M. Guiao aired this warning, saying if the money is returned to the government’s general funds, the expansion of Clark airport will be delayed by another five years.

“Nobody is championing Clark right now, although I have confidence  Arthur Tugade—since he came from here and is now the head of the Department of Transportation—dapat sana he should be following it up or pushing for it,” Guiao told members of the Capampangan in Media Inc. (Cami) during the Balitaan media forum organized by the group, in cooperation with the Clark Development Corp. (CDC), at the Bale Balita here last Friday.

Guiao was referring to Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade, who was the previous CDC president and CEO under the Aquino administration.

“The news that came to us is Clark airport may be undertaken by PPP [public-private [artnership]. That seems to be their plan,” he said. “But there is a big problem with PPP. It is complicated, and PPP projects always take a longer period.”

“So now if you do a PPP and there are no investors and no takers, you lose the P2.9 billion, and then there is also no PPP project,” he said.

“My concern is we went through a difficult process to look for the funds.”

Guiao recalled that in 2015, “we were able to appropriate P800 million for Clark airport, and that is for the detailed engineering studies and the ground works.”

He said the funds appropriated for the 2016 include the P2.1 billion for the start of the structure itself. So there is a total available fund now of almost P3 billion, but the problem now is that the budget was appropriated in the 2015 General  Appropriations Act and it has a lifetime of only two years. So if you do not spend that by the end of this year, it will revert to the general funds.”

“Our problem is there seems to be no urgency, I am not aware of steps being taken to spend the P800 million. That means if those funds will not be used by December or they won’t be obligated, we will lose it all,” he said.