Author: #BuildBuildBuild
Posted: April 06, 2017 | Category: General News
Tarlac local government leaders gathered in Clark to show support for “Build, Build, Build,” President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s Infrastructure Program which details high-impact infrastructure projects in the country, during the third leg of the Clark Development Stakeholders’ Roadshow held at the Widus Hotel in Clark Freeport Zone.
Increased infrastructure spending is the Duterte administration’s solution in moving the country forward by generating massive investments and creating millions of jobs. A complete turnaround is expected in the next five years through bold solutions in response to the pressing lack of infrastructure through massive infrastructure spending.
The Build, Build, Build Program is envisioned to help decongest main urban centers, create jobs and alleviate the impact of high prices through new mass transport projects, new roads and bridges, improved airports and a new metropolis called Clark Green City that will rise within the Clark Special Economic Zone which is in Capas and Bamban, Tarlac.
Clark Green City, BCDA’s most ambitious project, is designed to be the Philippines’ first smart, green, disaster-resilient city, where nature, lifestyle, business, education, and industry converge.
Tarlac, being the Melting Pot of Central Luzon, is a perfect location for Clark Green City as it is strategically located 120 kilometers away from Manila via the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), a mere 20 kilometers from the Clark International Airport, and 90 kilometers from the Subic Bay Freeport in Zambales.
Further, Tarlac will directly benefit from Clark Green City as the latter is masterplanned to contain an industrial area featuring green industries, agriculture-centered communities with support facilities, business hubs, and academic institutions.
The province’s developmental framework positions Tarlac as an agro-industrial cum tourism hub of Central Luzon.
Another major project in the Build Build Build program is the creation of a new, world-class passenger terminal in the Clark International Airport, envisioned to be the biggest aviation complex in Asia and is ideal for the requirements of high-end information technology (IT) enabled industries, aviation and logistics-related enterprises, tourism and other sectors. The said airport complements the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila in accordance with President Duterte’s dual airport policy. Clark International Airport is projected to increase passenger capacity by 8 million per year from the existing 4.2 million passengers per year, upon completion of Phase 1, for a total of 12.2 million passengers per annum. The ultimate target is 80 million per year upon completion of the fourth phase.
Further, Clark Development Corporation (CDC) is spending P1.2 billion for 2017 in projects that are aimed at improving infrastructure in support of the growing developments at the Airport and in the Clark Freeport Zone which is host to over 900 locator-firms.
Other game changing solutions include the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr’s) Metro Manila-Clark Railway which assures one hour travel from Metro Manila to the Clark International Airport, and the Subic-Clark Cargo Railway which links the Subic port and the Clark Airport, reducing congestion in Metro Manila and facilitate transfer of goods, people, and services.
At the end of the forum, a Manifesto of Support for the Build, Build, Build Program was signed by Former Tarlac Governor and now 2nd District of Tarlac Representative Victor Yap, 3rd District of Tarlac Representative Noel Villanueva, Province of Tarlac Governor Susan Yap, Tarlac City Mayor Ma. Cristina Angeles, Municipality of Capas Mayor Reynaldo Catacutan, Municipality of Bamban Mayor Jose Antonio Feliciano, and Municipality of Concepcion Mayor Andres Lacson. Signatories from the business group include Clark Development Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Noel Manankil, Clark International Airport Corporation Acting President and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Alexander Cauguiran, Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Executive Director Ms. Erlinda Pamintuan, and Bases Conversion and Development Authority President and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Vivencio Dizon.
The roadshow is a joint undertaking of Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA)—partners of national government in assuring fast completion of key infrastructure projects in Central Luzon that will benefit the region’s catchment population of 24 million population, and the country in general.