Clark Air Field, 40 miles northwest of Manila, is rapidly becoming a major international airport.
The
old USAF Clark Airbase was turned over to the Republic of the Philippines
in 1992 and is being renovated into a first class international port of arrival.
The terminal building is now in the midst of a complete remodeling and the results look great.
Air Asia and Cebu Pacific have some outstanding fares and you can avoid the hassle of Manila traffic by using this airport.
Air Asia has a super value flight between Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia and Clark for only 50 to 60 USD. I have taken this route when coming back from Kuala Lumpur and can recommend it.
Just yesterday I took a last minute flight from Cebu City to Clark for 1706 pesos but the flights are as low as 1300 pesos if booked in advance.
The departure tax at Clark is 150 pesos for domestic and 600 pesos for international. Sometimes the ATM is off line so it's always a good idea to have enough pesos to cover it ahead of time.
You won't be able to take a tricycle to the airport because they will not pass through the checkpoint. From the diamond subdivision a cab will run 300 pesos, which is ridiculously expensive but if you have a lot of luggage it might be the easiest option.
The cheapest route would be to take a jeepney to the checkpoint and then grab another jeepney to the airport from there. It is a lot less money but if you have a lot of gear it usually isn't done that way. If you're traveling light with a small bag it's the best way.
At the departure lobby there is a Mister Donut and a Royal Caribbean Jamaican Patty stand that offers a choice of Beef Supreme, Royal, Jerky, Grenada, Curry or Cheeze Burst patties for 50 pesos. They are delicious!