MTD Philippines Inc. (MTD) said the construction of the first phase of the New Clark City may be finished by August, ahead of the government’s deadline of October 15, as it is now 80-percent complete.
Company president Patrick Nicholas P. David made the pronouncement during a tour of New Clark City hosted by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), Department of Transportation and the Department of Finance.
“We are on track to meet the actual deadline set by the government of finishing it by October 15. And we are actually eyeing to meet our self-imposed deadline of August 31, or within the next 73 days,” David said.
The government said it expects to complete the New Clark City Project Phase 1A before the 30th Southeast Asian Games, which will be held in Pampanga in November.
David said facilities in the first phase of the New Clark City can be used by athletes who are preparing to compete in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
The first phase of the New Clark City project includes the construction of sports facilities intended for athletics and aquatic events. Construction kicked off on March 15, 2018.
Phase 1A of the New Clark City National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) include an athletics stadium that can seat 20,000 individuals, and an aquatics center with a seating capacity of 2,000.
David said 8,000 workers are currently working on the project 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said the speedy construction of facilities in New Clark City was due to the fact that it was built on government land.
“I’ll tell you what makes this fast, no right-of-way [issues because it’s] government land. No informal settlers, there were some but they’ve already dealt with it. They’ve offered them other lots,” Dominguez said.
According to BCDA President Vivencio B. Dizon, the New Clark City will be one of the legacies of the Duterte administration.
“I think it’s one of the legacies that President Duterte will be leaving behind, and we have the Japanese government to thank for that because they have been really supportive since the beginning. And I think based on the discussions today there will be more support to come,” he said.