Clark: The Philippines’ Leading Offshoring Destination
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The Philippines continues to solidify its position as one of the leading offshoring destinations in the world. In Tholons Services Globalization Index 2019, the Philippines ranked 5th in the list of Top 50 Digital Nations, while Manila ranked 2nd in the list of Top 100 Super Cities.
Clark is approximately 80 kilometers north of Manila and is accessible by land and air, which makes it convenient for clients to easily come and visit their offshore team anytime. Originally built as an American military airbase, Clark is positioned to become the next emerging offshoring destination in the Philippines because of its growing labour supply and the pronounced development and improving infrastructure.
Four Main Districts of Clark Development
The new Clark brand consists of four main districts namely the Clark Freeport Zone (CFZ), Clark Global City (CGC), Clark International Airport (CIA), and New Clark City (NCC).
1. Clark Freeport Zone (CFZ)
Clark Freeport Zone is a 26,000 hectare land that has an existing mixed-use complex established in the 90s. Originally built as a US military airbase, Clark is now home to several companies engaged in the manufacture of semiconductors, tires, and textiles.
Not only suitable for business, Clark can also be a hub for hospitality and leisure. Global hotel brands like Marriott and Hilton can be found in the area, as well as leisure parks such as Mimosa Leisure Estate covering a total land of 201 hectares, and an adventure water park named Aqua Planet which sits on a 10 hectare property.
2. Clark Global City (CGC)
This 177 hectare land inside Clark Freeport Zone will serve as the primary business district complete with hotels, residential houses, schools, hospitals, and BPO hubs to entice more investors. Clark Global City will be home to top-grade office buildings, upscale retail outlets, sports centers, urban park, iconic tower, academic centers, integrated resorts, and modern support services and amenities.
At present, 47 hectares of the 177-hectare property has been fully completed with world-class, disaster-ready infrastructure, storm water drainage systems, state-of-the-art sewer system, an underground infrastructure network, eight-road lanes with bike lanes and 50 meters of right-of-way priority, prime generating units and backup fuel storage.
3. Clark International Airport (CIA)
Also located inside Clark Freeport Zone, the 2,367 hectare Clark International Airport will serve as the central hub of transportation in the area. The expansion project of the Clark airport aims to accommodate up to 80 million passengers annually, hoping to clear the congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila. Over the coming years, Clark International Airport is envisioned to be the next premium gateway to Asia.
4. New Clark City (NCC)
New Clark City is part of the Clark Freeport Zone and is covering a total land of 9,450 hectare. This sustainable development project is divided into 5 districts; government, business, education, agriculture and recreature; and can accommodate up to 1.2 million people.
NCC will be the first smart, green, disaster-resilient, and sustainable metropolis in the Philippines which aims to become the next investment center in Asia. It will also be the home of the National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) which includes a world class sports complex.
The Growth of BPO Industry in Clark
The BPO industry continues to grow at a rapid pace in the Philippines with the Philippines being ranked first globally in terms of BPO size. The recent advancement in infrastructure in Clark has made it the fastest growing offshoring destination in the Philippines.
The Malolos–Clark Railway Project, a passenger railway connecting Malolos, a suburb north of Manila, to Clark economic zone and Clark International Airport, is estimated to cut the travel time from Metro Manila to Clark International Airport to less than one hour. The rail system is expected to be partially operational from 2022 and can benefit 350,000 passengers a day in its first year of operation. Initiatives like this are ranking Clark as the preferred location for Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) firms.
Conclusion
In today’s highly competitive, dynamic, and fast-paced business environment, anyone leading a business is looking for smarter ways to operate. Choosing the right offshoring destination is critical to ensuring outsourcing success.
Offshoring to the Philippines has become a key business strategy for many businesses, due to the opportunity to not only reduce cost, but to extend business hours and leverage capability. From traditional Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) focused on customer service, the industry has now evolved into Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO).
The optiBPO offshoring value map will help you think about your growth drivers, and where and how best an offshore team could support you. Opportunities exist across the value map to rapidly build a high-performing team that save costs, drive growth, create success, and enable new services to be delivered that are not justified onshore.
Check the optiBPO offshoring value map in full view
Featured image courtesy of New Clark City