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CLARK
FREEPORT—The Metro Clark Advisory Council (MCAC) has
endorsed major land utilization projects, including a
central business district (CBD), under the development
agenda being pursued by the Clark Development Corp.
(CDC) for this freeport.
But one
of the concerns over the CBD is that it should not
interfere with the development of the airport there,
considering there are height requirements for the
buildings.
MCAC
cochairman and Mabalacat Mayor Marino Morales said the
projects would spur economic development as this would
entice foreign and local investors to locate at the
Clark Freeport.
Among
the major projects lined up are the development of sites
for tourism, techno-industrial use, aviation and the
proposed central business district presented by CDC
president Levy Laus during an MCAC meeting recently.
The
projects are contained in MCAC Resolution No. 02-2007
which adopts and endorses the four-year development
agenda of CDC.
In an
interview over local radio station dwRW 95.1 recently,
Morales reaffirmed his support for the undertakings of
CDC, saying the proposed 300-hectare CBD “is a welcome
development for the Clark Freeport Zone as long as it
would not interfere with the development of the
airport.”
For his
part, Laus said the plan to develop a CBD is in line
with President Arroyo’s vision to create a logistics hub
in
Clark under her 10-Point Agenda.
He said
the CBD will complement the President’s vision of
transforming Clark into a haven of estate investment and
the country’s gateway and a logistics hub in Asia with
the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) as
the centerpiece of the development plan.
Laus
said the concept of the CBD will coexist harmoniously
with the airport’s development, adding “airport security
will not be compromised.”
“In the
terms of reference [for the development of the CBD near
Industrial Estate 5 or IE5] is a section dealing
directly with concerns on building height and airport
safety which would only implement the maximum allowable
height as per conditions of the regulations of
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),” Laus
said.
“The
very essence of a CBD, under the feasibility study, is
its functionality as an economic and financial center
for a region or country and not a high-rise,
high-density development area,” Laus said.
“It will
be a medium density and medium-rise development. At
every core of a CBD is its concentration in development
uses of business process outsourcing (BPO) firms,
corporate headquarters and other financial
institutions,” Laus explained.
Morales
said once the CBD is operational, it will not only
develop Clark but also mean additional income for the
Mabalacat town under Republic Act 9400, or the law
declaring Clark a freeport zone.
Meanwhile, the other aspects of the four-year
development plan for the Clark Freeport includes tourism
projects that will give rise to tourism estates,
resorts, theme parks and recreational areas such as golf
courses; techno-industrial business projects in
information, communication and technology (ICT),
business process outsourcing (BPO) and related
industries; and, aviation that includes the building of
new passenger terminal at the DMIA in preparation to
becoming a premier international gateway of the country.
All the
projects are seen to attract and create labor-intensive
investment projects. |
