13 - GMA receives P5M scholarship grant at Clark Institute of Aviation

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo received Thursday morning a scholarship grant worth P5 million from the Alpha Aviation Group during the inauguration of the -million Clark Institute of Aviation here.

The P5-million grant would cover the school expenses of one person chosen by the President to undergo training as pilot for international airlines.

The President received the check from Alpha Aviation Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Pearson.

Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza and Pearson assisted the President during the ribbon cutting ceremony marking the opening of the aviation institute.

The Chief Executive was also given a tour and briefing on the state-of-the-art computer simulation of the aviation facility and its technology operation.

"That's great! A wonderful progress (in aviation training)," the President exclaimed after viewing a computer simulation of the facility's "Flight Management System."

The Clark Institute of Aviation (CIA) is owned by an international consortium of British, Singaporean, French and Indian investors.

It is the first of 10 aviation schools the Alpha Aviation Group plans to establish in Southeast Asia, India and the Middle East.

CIA will train pilots for international aircraft in a move to address the problem of pilot shortages, particularly in China, Taiwan, and the Philippines.

The facility, which was completed last month, boasts of classrooms, administrative offices and a gymnasium. Hotel rooms for students now under construction are scheduled to be completed in September, while a huge gymnasium would be ready for use in October.

The aviation institute will start accepting enrolees next month.

The establishment of an aviation school in Clark complements the economic zone's thrust of transforming the economic zone here into the most affordable gateway to Asia and developing its potentials as a logistics hub for the Asia-Pacific region. (PNA)