The construction of the National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) in New Clark City ensures the efficient delivery of services as national agencies seek to locate in a master planned metropolis that is also more resilient and sustainable.
A recent report by Japanese news agency Nikkei noted that “Metro Manila is home to nearly 13 million people, based on the latest census, but the number swells to around 15 million during the daytime, when workers stream into the city from the suburbs.”
The report said that “success in Clark could at least take some of the pressure off” Manila, as it cited the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) projection that the country could lose Php5.4 billion to congestion daily by 2035 if no interventions are made on the capital’s traffic conditions.
It also quoted Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, who supports the establishment of a government center, saying: “The government offices in Manila are scattered all over the city; and for the public, it's very difficult for them if they have to deal with several ministries to go from one place to another. This makes a lot of sense.”
Several government offices are set to move its operations to NGAC in New Clark City, 100 kilometers north of congested Metro Manila. New Clark City is envisioned to be the first smart, green, and sustainable metropolis in the country.
Phase 1 of the 200-hectare NGAC also involves the development of back-up offices of various government agencies to ensure continuous business operations and services for the people in case of disasters or natural calamities.
Phase 1A is already close to 90 percent complete, and is targeted to be finished by the end of August.
The Nikkei report further said that New Clark City “would also give Manila something it sorely needs: a competitor.”
“The World Bank, in a 2017 report on urbanization, noted the lack of viable alternatives for people and businesses contributes to the capital's worsening congestion as the national economy grows,” it said.
New Clark City is the Duterte administration’s centerpiece infrastructure project in Central Luzon under the Build Build Build program. Its construction is in keeping with the government’s commitment to spread infrastructure development outside Metro Manila and bring inclusive growth across all regions.