MANILA, Philippines – Taylor Swift is going viral again in the Philippines — not because she’s performing here anytime soon, but because a new stadium in Clark Freeport Zone in central Luzon big enough to accommodate the American pop superstar may be ready by 2028.

A presentation slide by the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) made the rounds online after it claimed that project development has started for a stadium that would be “Taylor Swift concert ready by 2028.”

CIAC president and chief executive officer Arrey Perez confirmed that they are planning to develop a 37-hectare “Entertainment and Events Center” in the sprawling Clark Civil Aviation Complex. Plans include a 150,000-square-meter international convention center, an airport mall with over 300 stores, and an indoor sports arena with a seating capacity of 30,000. The project is expected to last from 2024 to 2027.

Could that stadium finally be what brings Swift to the Philippines? According to the CIAC, they will court her to perform there once the entertainment complex is ready by 2028.

“The design and build plans for the Clark Entertainment Center must attract musical events of world-renowned artists, including the likes of Taylor Swift,” CIAC Public Affairs Division head Augusto Sanchez told Rappler on Monday, July 15.

In a recent statement, CIAC also said that they were “building a world-class arena where we can host the likes of Taylor Swift and Coldplay.” (READ: First Taylor Swift, now IU: Concert tourism is the new travel trend)

“Indeed, the Eras Tour has shown everyone the incredible potential of tourism and the MICE industries (meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions) to boost national economies,” CIAC said on Saturday, July 13.

The plan has received mixed reactions online. Some were excited about the possibility of attracting more international artists to the country, while others questioned why the project was being prioritized over seemingly more important ones.

“I’m a Swiftie, but I want our country to focus on better projects towards education, hospitals, and reliable transpo. I believe Taylor Swift will still agree with me and other Swifties with the same thoughts,” one fan commented on a Facebook post.

“Sorry, Philippines. The plan is good. But we are not like Singapore – the safety and security of the people, no MRT and buses that can bring people to their houses after the concert in a span of 1 hour,” another netizen wrote.

Not just a stadium

While such criticisms do highlight continuing problems in the Philippines, it’s also important to understand the project’s context. The plan is not limited to just a stadium designed to attract mega concerts from the likes of Taylor Swift. (READ: Filipinos were ready for it: PH top buyer of Taylor Swift tour tickets in Klook)

CIAC describes the indoor sports arena as “an internationally accredited, multi-purpose venue for various local and international events, complementing the outdoor sports facilities of New Clark City in fostering sports within the region and harnessing the tremendous potential of the multi-million-dollar live music industry.”

CIAC is aware of the transportation worries too, with plans for the entertainment and events center to incorporate a “multi-modal terminal” that can accommodate 200,000 passengers per day through “diverse transportation modes,” although the exact details of the terminal are not yet fleshed out.

There are also plans to build a 1.7-kilometer four-lane access road connecting the center to the rest of the Clark Civil Aviation Complex, and a 2.7-km four-lane airport highway called CRK Direct Access Link that connects the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and the North Luzon Expressway to the Clark International Airport (CRK).

The 37-hectare development is also just one of CIAC’s 7 flagship projects planned for 2024 onwards. Other developments include:

• National Food Hub: A $152-million, 60-hectare area that will serve as a wholesale market, distribution hub, and warehouse and cold storage center.
• Urban Renewal and Heritage Conservation Program: A $30-million, 23-hectare area that will house an “active lifestyle central park,” river esplanade, and urban heritage park.
• New CIAC headquarters: A 3-hectare area between the International Convention Center and Clark International Airport that will house the CIAC’s headquarters
• Second runway planning: The detailed site development plan for a 4,000-meter second runway for the Clark International Airport, which will be the country’s longest runway.

“We must think of CRK beyond air travel,” CIAC president Arrey Perez said on Friday, July 12. “The Clark Airport City will build up CRK by creating not just more passenger traffic, but [also] cargo traffic.”

Several of CIAC’s flagship projects will also be developed through private-public partnerships (PPP). For instance, the entertainment center has already caught the eye of one local proponent along with two others from Singapore and the United States, according to a report by the Manila Bulletin.

The CIAC is also engaging the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Public-Private Partnership Center to aid it in the establishment of the planned National Food Hub. ADB will act as the CIAC’s transaction advisor for the P8.5-billion project.

By developing these multi-billion-peso flagship projects as PPPs, CIAC can tap private sector capital. Essentially, that means the government doesn’t have to pull away money from other critical infrastructure projects to fund what may seem like a frivolous stadium for a pop icon. And since it’s the private proponent’s money at stake here, it’s likely that they’re building it because they see it will yield a strong return on investment. – Rappler.com

[OPINION] Clark International Airport, one of world’s most beautiful airports, is badly underutilized