THE government has given fresh assurances that Clark remains a safe haven for investors and locators, allaying fears from existing businesses in the wake of the 6.1-magnitude earthquake that damaged the international airport in the north.
Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President Vivencio B. Dizon explained to the BusinessMirror that despite the damage sustained by the Clark International Airport last month, the city is a “naturally disaster-resilient” place for businesses.
“Clark was a former American military base in the Philippines, strategically located, and naturally resilient playing a key role in the country’s defense before the termination of the Military Bases Agreement in 1991,” he said.
Dizon added that contributing to its reliability in defense are its geological conditions, which make it less vulnerable to earthquakes as certified by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
“The area too has neighboring mountain ranges, the Zambales Mountain Range and Sierra Madre Mountain Range, which serve as natural barriers against typhoons and thus can reduce the impact of strong winds to the Central Luzon area,” he said.
Elevation factor
To date, Clark has four key districts—the main zone where Yokohama and Texas Instruments are located, the Clark International Airport, a new business center called Clark Global City, and the country’s first smart and green metropolis, New Clark City.
“This new metropolis we’re building is safe from flooding with an average elevation of 65 meters above sea level. This is 63 meters higher than Manila City. Metro Manila, for example, has the highest elevation at 40 meters above sea level and this is at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig,” he explained.
Dizon added that the structures inside the National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) in New Clark City were designed based on the 2015 National Structural Code of the Philippines which requires buildings to withstand a minimum of magnitude 7 earthquake and a maximum magnitude 8.4 earthquake.
Essential structures such as government buildings are required to withstand a magnitude 8.4 earthquake, as these should be more stable than office buildings and condominiums.
The government buildings in NGAC, including an Integrated Operations and Disaster Risk and Recovery Center, can withstand even more—up to magnitude 8.9, he added.
“This makes New Clark City an ideal location for back-up facilities to ensure continuous government operations in case of disasters and calamities in Metro Manila,” Dizon added.
He added that MTD Philippines, which is currently building the future city, has already reached 7 million safe man-hours.
“It also purchased an earthquake monitoring device to inform building occupants whether or not to evacuate the buildings during an earthquake,” he said.
Post-quake fears
The Clark Investors and Locators Association earlier raised issues on the integrity of Clark for businesses, citing the effects of the 6.1-magnitude quake to the airport last month.
Parts of the old terminal collapsed due to the quake, causing a temporary closure of the airport from all commercial operations.
Dizon highlighted that only the old building was damaged by the quake, and the government response to the incident was “fast,” as in less than 48 hours the airport resumed its day-to-day operations.
“The existing Clark terminal is admittedly an old facility, that is why the Department of Transportation and BCDA are building a new and more resilient one,” he said.
The new terminal is over 60 percent complete and will open by mid next year.
Setting the standard
Dizon also noted that the recent earthquake did not cause any damage to the new terminal, as well as to the venues for the 2019 South East Asian Games inside the NGAC in New Clark City.
Construction work immediately continued the day after the April 22 quake.
“In case a strong typhoon hits the area, the roof of the new terminal can withstand up to a Category 5 hurricane given that the Philippines is in a geohazard location,” Dizon explained. “It is made up of aluminum roofing and glued laminated timber or glulam imported from Vienna, Austria.”
He added: “No casualties and no major incidents were reported in both project sites, which shows the viability and effectiveness of the projects being implemented under the Build Build Build Infrastructure Program.”
Dizon further said the New Clark City “is a well master-planned metropolis that is built with the people in mind.”
“It sets the standard of quality living in Philippine cities,” he said.
The government has also partnered with Japanese and Singaporean groups to ensure the integrity of the structures and craft “design standards and guidelines that will guide locators and ensure sustainability.”
“Through these partnerships we in government are making sure that these are built to provide safe, reliable and vibrant living conditions for people,“ Dizon said.
Rigorous preconstruction study
For her part, Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope O. Libiran noted that transport projects in Clark such as the Philippine National Railways (PNR) North and the Subic-Clark Railway all underwent rigorous feasibility studies to ensure their safety from natural disasters.
“Projects underwent study and evaluation prior [to] approval. In conducting a study, ensuring the alignment is at a location that is safe and far from the fault line is crucial,” she said in a text message.
She added that all projects are compliant with the National Structure Code of the Philippines (NSCP), and will be employing Japanese standards for civil structures.
“As far as DOTr is concerned, we would like to assure the public that transport infrastructure projects that are currently being implemented are safe, and are compliant with the NSCP,” Libiran said.
Given this, Dizon said Clark continues to be a haven for businesses.
“Clark remains an ideal location where businesses and investors can thrive. Thus the message to the global community, let the Philippines work for you,” he said.
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