By Jojo C. Due | Special to the BusinessMirror
CLARK FREE PORT—The Clark Green City, which is set to be developed by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), will address the congestion that is now plaguing Metro Manila by developing new cities or metropolitan areas in the countryside, thus spreading out economic opportunities.
“We see the terrible congestion in Metro Manila right now. We really need to create a new metropolitan area that would further drive the economy higher because Metro Manila cannot take in more migration,” BCDA President Arnel Paciano D. Casanova said during a presentation to the Anvil Business Club at the Anvaya Cove Beach and Nature Club in Morong, Bataan.
“We need to create a new city because our economy is growing, and our population is growing, as well. The Clark Green City is one of our biggest projects now under the Aquino administration,” Casanova said.
He said that the “green” city to be developed in Tarlac province should be sustainable and inclusive, since it will further accelerate the economic development of the country, because development will happen even outside Metro Manila.
Casanova explained that Clark was chosen as the site of the Clark Green City because of its strategic location and because it has the facilities that are needed for a city, citing that it is close to the Clark International Airport, as well as a seaport in Subic, all located within Central Luzon.
“There is congestion in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Manila Seaport also. Around the Clark Green City, we have an excellent seaport in Subic that is underutilized and an airport, which is the biggest airport in the Philippines in terms of land area, featuring two runways. All we need is a terminal. And in terms of accessibility, these free ports are connected by several tollways, such as the North Luzon Expressway, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union [Expressway],” he said.
“We have seen the opportunity where new economic development can happen in Clark. That is what we need right now. About 90 to 100 kilometers away from Manila, Clark is a free port and special economic zone, and there is huge a undeveloped land which could really address the problems of urbanization and further sustain our economic development,” Casanova added.
Asked if the Clark Green City will be like the Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Casanova said it will be better, as he explained that this will not simply just be something like the BGC but “will really be a new city.”
“Government agencies will be located at the Clark Green City. We will also put up housing. In fact, we have an agreement with the Pag-IBIG [Fund] already to provide housing even for the minimum-wage earners for this to be affordable to prevent informal settlements from happening,” Casanova also said.
He added that the vision for the Clark Green City is to be “a City in a Farm,” citing Singapore, which prides itself as being a “city in a garden.”
“In our case, we want to balance urbanization, which is inevitable as we need space for a growing population, with sustaining our agricultural productivity, ensuring the ability to produce food for our food security within the region.”
The Clark Green City is a 9,450-hectare master-planned property within the Clark Special Economic Zone. Approximately, half the size of Metro Manila, it is eyed to be the country’s first smart, green and disaster-resilient metropolis.
Image credits: Jojo C. Due