Singapore-based Sembcorp Industries is exploring a potential industrial park investment in Clark as the Philippines seeks to strengthen its position as a regional hub for export manufacturing and supply-chain operations.
Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director General Tereso Panga said discussions with Sembcorp remain exploratory, although the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has already offered potential sites in the Clark area.
“Exploratory pa yan. But BCDA has offered already some areas for them to develop in Clark area,” Panga said.
PEZA, Sembcorp, and HSBC Philippines recently met with BCDA officials and conducted a site visit to New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac to assess the area’s potential for the proposed development.
Panga pointed to Sembcorp’s track record in Vietnam, where it partnered with the Vietnamese government to develop 27 industrial parks, as a model that could help the Philippines compete more effectively for foreign manufacturing investments.
“Sembcorp partnered with Vietnamese govt in developing 27 industrial parks in Vietnam,” he said, noting that the company’s experience was a major factor in Vietnam’s success in attracting foreign investors setting up offshore facilities in the region.
The potential Clark project comes as the Philippines pushes to attract more export-oriented manufacturing and integrate local industries into regional supply chains.
New Clark City, a key component of the Luzon Economic Corridor, offers connectivity, infrastructure, and a master-planned environment that could support a large-scale industrial ecosystem.
The discussions also bring together complementary strengths. PEZA provides investment facilitation and economic zone expertise, BCDA offers master-planned development capabilities, while HSBC Philippines brings its international investor network.
No investment commitment has been announced, but Sembcorp’s interest could signal growing investor attention toward Clark.
For the Philippines, securing an experienced industrial park developer could help address one of its long-standing competitive gaps and strengthen its ability to compete with established manufacturing destinations such as Vietnam.
