The construction of New Clark City, a modern metropolis envisioned to be next growth driver in Luzon, is on track, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said Monday.This was assured by BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Vivencio Dizon after meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte about New Clark City, one of the big-ticket projects of BCDA under the Build Build Build infrastructure program. The New Clark City will be the country’s first smart, green, and resilient metropolis in the country.
“The planned developments in Clark will not only happen very soon; they are already happening as we speak,” Dizon said.
In a meeting at Malacaňang last April 4, Dizon reported to President Rodrigo Duterte the construction progress at the 9,450-hectare New Clark City.
“This is a legacy project and we have to finish it quickly,” Dizon quoted Duterte as saying.
Duterte himself sees Clark as an ideal investment destination in the country. “For want of space, if people would go to us, easily I would say, ‘Go to Clark’,” the President said in December last year.
One of the components of New Clark City is the National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) involving the construction of back-up offices of various agencies to ensure continuous business operations and services in case of disasters or natural calamities. The NGAC project broke ground last January 23.
Phase 1A of NGAC also features the construction of world-class sports facilities to be used for the Southeast Asian Games in November 2019. It covers 40 hectares.
Infrastructure developer AlloyMTD, the Philippine unit of MTD Capital Berhad which won the bid to build the government hub, committed to finishing Phase 1A in time for the SEA Games.
“To achieve this, we mobilised four times the number of construction equipment normally needed. As of today, we have 101 different types of equipment in the project site and will increase to 150 by end of the month,” said AlloyMTD Chairman Engr. Isaac David.
“This is on top of the precast technology we are using which means some parts of the buildings are being done in factories and will be joined together at the project site,” he added.
Architect Royal Pineda of the Budji+Royal firm said the New Clark City is the “best opportunity to celebrate Filipino history and culture” as the design and materials to be used for the construction of world-class sports facilities will be distinctly Filipino.
“Bold and confident, this modern Philippine city will be our new face to the world. We believe we can redefine and make our standards fit with our modern needs and achieve authenticity in our cities,” Pineda said.
BCDA has tapped Budji+Royal Architecture+Design to design the New Clark City; the sports and residential facilities, as well as the government buildings at NGAC; and the new passenger terminal at the Clark International Airport.
