CLARK FIELD (PLDT/WeRoam) -- By any standard, the opening last Tuesday of the dedicated 94-kilometer expressway linking in the shortest possible way the three industrial zones of Subic, Clark and Tarlac is a momentous event.

Through the new growth corridor will flow progress, translated into an improved quality of provincial life, for Central Luzon. This mainly agricultural plain has long suffered from feudal values, agrarian unrest and armed dissidence.

President Gloria Arroyo, who drove through the southern half of the four-lane highway with a coterie of local officials, was justifiably happy having inaugurated the infrastructure backbone of her regional base.

Among those with the President were Sen. Richard Gordon, governors Victor Yap of Tarlac, Eddie Panlilio of Pampanga, Enrique Garcia of Bataan, Pampanga congressmen Aurelio Gonzales and Carmelo Lazatin, and Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura.

* * *

BENEFITS: A glimpse of what the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) can do for commerce, industry and tourism in that part of Luzon north of the capital:

1. Travel time from Clark to Subic will be cut to 35 minutes, compared to double that time using the old MacArthur highway and the Gapan-Olongapo road passing through populous towns.

2. Travel time from Clark to the industrial zone at the Hacienda Luisita of the Cojuangcos in Tarlac will also be cut by half to about 30 minutes.

3. Raw materials, mostly imported, can be unloaded in the Subic freeport , then transported by land via the SCTEx to the factories and processing plants of Clark and Tarlac. Finished products can be transported back to Subic for shipping out without having to pass through unsecured areas.

4. Communities along the corridor are expected to experience a boom, especially with interchanges soon to be built at key points. This will help boost tourism and commerce.

* * *

HIT IT AGAIN?: The soft opening of the southern segment by the President covered the Subic-Clark portion of the SCTEx which is some 50 kilometers long.

An interesting footnote is that the Clark-Tarlac (Luisita) leg, still unfinished, was not opened yet. Will the fact that former President Cory Aquino, whose family owns Luisita, is demanding the resignation of President Arroyo affect the Tarlac timetable?

The SCTEx was built at a cost of P27 billion, of which P23 billion was funded through a loan from the Japan Bank of International Cooperation. (That explains the presence of the Japanese ambassador in the drive-through.) The rest of the cost was shouldered by the Bases Conversion Development Authority.

Do not be surprised if the political opposition would, almost by Pavlovian reflex, raise questions about the SCTEx and related infrastructure. Be ready for innuendo about overpricing, some commissions and other indications of graft.

* * *

PREMIER AIRPORT: A key element in the total picture is the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, which was developed around the top-class airfield that was home to the US 13th Air Force before the Americans were forced out amid the rumblings and ashfall of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991.

Metro Manilans better be prepared for the inevitable: That the DMIA will become the premier international gateway to the Philippines, replacing the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in congested Pasay City.

That role of the airport named after the President's father will be enhanced the moment the government completes a dedicated highway and railway connecting Clark to Manila .

This, plus the extension of the North Luzon Expressway to Pangasinan close to Baguio will boost Luzon development. But that will be billions of pesos hence, something not available at the moment and which will probably be within sight only after 2010.

* * *

TRY IT: For Manila residents who want a toll-free preview of the highway that the cabalens are excitedly talking about can drive up NLEx up to Dau and exit about a kilometer way through the spur road at barangay Mabiga leading to Clark.

Follow the road signs that will lead you to the SCTEx going to Subic. Only light vehicles, chartered buses and motorcycles that are 400 cc or bigger are allowed.

Until March 24, no toll fee will be collected from those trying out the new expressway. The current Holy Week trial use will be only from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., before darkness sets in. The reason: The lighting has not been installed.

At SCTEx, motorists bound for Bataan can exit at the Dinalupihan interchange via the Roman highway.

Motorists from Subic and Bataan bound for Manila can enter the SCTEx through the Tipo toll plaza or the Dinalupihan toll plaza and follow the road signage towards the Clark Logistics Toll Plaza.

* * *

TRAGIC FLAW: Elsewhere, meanwhile, a news headline said that newly appointed Supreme Court Associate Justice Arturo Brion will face his first test when the tribunal takes up the question of Secretary Romulo Neri testifying before the Senate.

Scannning the story, I got the message that if Brion takes a position that is not against President Arroyo, he will be denounced as not being independent.

Under the same line of attack, Brion has to assail the position of Malacanang on executive privilege to be acclaimed as being objective or truly independent of his former boss who had appointed him to the High Court.

This is another tragic flaw in our political culture.

* * *