House adopts resolution supporting the

Clark Green City Master Development Plan of BCDA

The House of Representatives has unanimously adopted a resolution expressing support to
the Clark Green City Master Development Plan prepared by the Bases Conversion and
Development uthority !BCD"#
$The proposed Clark Green City% a &%'()*he+tar metropolis% as announ+ed by the state*
o,ned BCD is the +ountry-s ne,est and most modern +ity half the si.e of Metro Manila% set to
rise ,ithin the /0%)))*he+tare property north of the Clark 1reeport and 2pe+ial 3+onomi+ 4one
!C1234" main .one%5 Rep# Cin+hona Cru.*Gon.ales !Party 6ist% C7BC"% +hairperson of the
House 2pe+ial Committee on Bases Conversion% explained#
House Resolution 880 urges the 3xe+utive Department to agree to and support the general
frame,ork and broad features and ob9e+tives of the proposed Clark Green City Master
Development Plan#
The :3D has approved on ugust 0% ;)8/ the master plan for the development of &%'))
he+tares of idle land ,ithin the C1234 as a green +ity# The :3D 7nfrastru+ture Committee
!7:1RC<M" has endorsed the master plan for the Clark green +ity to President Benigno
=uino 777 for final approval#
The House of Representatives is e=ually +ogni.ant that it is essential that the BCD
+oordinate ,ith other government agen+ies to the different lo+al government units for
formulation of appropriate strategies% plans and timetable to attain the targets set forth in the Plan
and to respond to unforeseen future +onditions ,hi+h may re=uire timely and appropriate a+tion
beyond the +ontemplation of the Plan#
The spe+ial panel has +reated a steering +ommittee that ,ill address the various issues and
+on+erns raised by the 6G>s pertaining to the Clark Green City Pro9e+t +omposed of the BCD%
Department of :ational Defense or rmed 1or+es of the Philippines% :ational Commission on
7ndigenous Peoples !:C7P"% 6o+al Government >nits of the Provin+e of Tarla+ and Pampanga%
and their distri+t representatives in the House of Representatives#
$The BCD envisions the City more modern than the Bonifa+io Global in Taguig% one of
the ma9or su++ess pro9e+ts implemented by the BCD% hosting businesses% domesti+ and
international trade% +onferen+es% resear+h development entities% regional tourism +enters% national
government offi+es and international head=uarters%5 Cru.*Gon.ales said#
Cru.*Gon.ales said the proposed City ,ill play a ma9or role in easing the pressure of
development on Metro Manila and ,ill sho,+ase ,hat the +ountry +an offer in terms of urban
planning and sustainable development at par ,ith the trend in building sustainable and modern
+ities in ma9or +ountries around the ,orld#
$Compared to Metro Manila% the C1234 ,here the Clark Green City is lo+ated has lo,
NR # 3569
AUG 25, 2014
sus+eptibility to floodings% landslides and earth=uakes%5 Cru.*Gon.ales said#
Cru.*Gon.ales also =uoted BCD President and C3< rnel Pa+iano Casanova ,ho
stressed that the pro9e+t ,ould attra+t billions of investments% generate thousands of 9obs% boost
the e+onomy and sustain in+lusive gro,th#
++ording to the resolution% the Clark Green City pro9e+t is expe+ted to generate as mu+h
as P8#(? trillion in revenues every year% at least ' per+ent share in the :ational Gross Domesti+
Produ+t !GDP"% as many as &;(%))) ne, 9obs% upon full +ompletion of the planned development#
()*year development program% the Clark Green City ,ill approximately +ost P0)?
billion@ P(& billion of ,hi+h ,ill be used for the first five years% +oming mostly from the private
se+tor through the Publi+*Private Partnership Program#
The green metropolis ,ould be a mix of industrial% institutional and +ommer+ial areas%
,hi+h ,ould apply green te+hnologies% using rene,able energy from sustainable sour+es by all
fa+ilities and buildings in the proposed +ity% a pla+e ,here one-s home% pla+e of ,ork% and pla+es
of re+reation are ,ithin ,alking or biking distan+es from ea+h other#
$7t ,ill be a pla+e ,here everyone is +onne+ted by both +ulture and te+hnology ,ith
sustainability as number one priority in building the +ity% it is truly designed ,ith future
generations in mind%5 the resolution said#
The resolution +ited the BCD% ,hi+h stated that the urbani.ation trend in the Philippines
has been faster in the last () years# 7n 8&0)% only A million 1ilipinos lived in urban areas and the
remaining 8& million lived in rural lo+ations#
7n ;)))% the BCD said the trend has reversed ,ith /& million 1ilipinos living in +ities
and /?#( million living in rural areas% and '0 million people in urban areas% a de+ade after#
$This means that roughly 8 out of ; 1ilipinos live in a +ity% hen+e% urbani.ation in the
Philippines is bound to +ontinue%5 the BCD said#
The resolution also +ited the BCD stating that by ;)/)% some / out of ' 1ilipinos ,ill be
living in +ities# Hen+e BCD believes that there is a need to build another metropolis and +hose
to pattern the Clark Green City to 2outh Borea-s 2ongdo#
The urbani.ation in the Philippines% the BCD said% has been +on+entrated in the :CR%
Ri.al% Cavite% 6aguna and Bula+an% and that there is no, a need to +reate a ne, metropolitan area
like 2mart Cities Corld,ide% a++ording to the resolution#
The BCD is mandated under Republi+ +t ?;;? to transform former >2 military bases
and lo+al Metro Manila +amps into alternative produ+tive +ivilian uses and premier +enters of
e+onomi+ gro,th in partnership ,ith the private se+tor ,ith integrity% ex+ellen+e and ste,ardship
of government resour+es#
House Resolution 880 is a substitution of House Resolution 8;?( ,hi+h substituted the
original House Resolution &'' authored by Cru.*Gon.ales# !/)" jsc