A BETTER and greener city—this is the main goal for the Clark Green City (CGC) project, one among those lined up under President Duterte’s Build Build Build Infrastructure Program.
Surprisingly, the latter is envisioned to help decongest main urban centers while creating a new area for economic growth in the region.
The CGC project was approved by the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) Board in May 2014. Consequently, the CGC master development plan stresses the place will have the following zones: commercial/financial center, industrial, institutional, residential, urban farmland and public realm, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) Assistant Vice President for Corporate Communications Office Leilani Macasaet said.
Other salient features of the Clark Green City are disaster resilience, proximity to connectivity infrastructure, fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, green and sustainable development, smart development and socially inclusive development.
“Strategically located, Clark is 120 kilometers away from Manila via the North Luzon Expressway, a mere 20 kilometers from the Clark International Airport, and 90 kilometers from the Subic Bay Freeport in Zambales. Located inside the Clark Special Economic Zone, it [CGC] is designed to be the Philippines’s largest and first smart, green, disaster-resilient city, where nature, lifestyle, business, education and industry converge,” Macasaet said.
She said various partnerships with international and local industry experts in the master planning of CGC have been made.
“For example, we formed a joint-venture company with the Japan Overseas Investment Infrastructure Corp. for Transport and Urban Development, which will develop a Japan-oriented park and transportation system within Clark Green City,” she said.
Filinvest Land Inc. will develop 288 hectares for mixed-use, commercial, residential, office and institutional purposes.
Macasaet said there will be a public-private partnership with Hitachi Asia Ltd. for the installation of a fully integrated system for optimized energy supply for CGC, while Huawei Technologies Philippines Ltd. will do a feasibility study on the safe city solutions project. CGC will benefit not only Region 3, but the entire nation.
CGC, as a hub for economic growth, is truly seen as positively impacting, not only the lives of the people within Clark and its surrounding communities, but also the nation as a whole. The business hubs in CGC will generate jobs for many Filipinos, and residential areas within it will enable them to have ease of mobility between work and home.
“Basically, CGC will be master planned to contain an industrial sector featuring green industries, agriculture-centered communities with support facilities, business hubs and academic institutions. The larger labor pool of the Central Luzon region and its local community living within the so-called ‘rice bowl of the Philippines’ will directly benefit from these developments, given its proximity,” she said.
Focusing on the benefits of Clark Green City for Central Luzon, the project will definitely strengthen the region’s position as the country’s newest growth hub, leveraging also on the existing gains of the Clark Special Economic Zone. Among the benefits will be in the areas of agricultural produce, population, Gross Regional Domestic Product, tourism and real estate.
“With the current administration committed to aid in improving road networks and other transportation infrastructure to and from Region 3, the presence of CGC in the region will further entice businesses to the area, helping drive economic growth by providing employment opportunities and generating new sources of revenue for the Local Government Units,” Macasaet said.
She said upon full development, the CGC is estimated to have 1.12 million residents and 800,000
Macasaet said the preparatory work for Clark Green City has already started, with the first phase to be completed by 2020.
The comprehensive master development plan results are expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2017, while the detailed development planning of pioneer developments is targeted to be accomplished during the first quarter of 2018. Meanwhile, the start of the site development for pioneer developments is expected to be done by the second quarter of 2018.
Macasaet said the comprehensive master plan of Clark Green City is being completed by AECOM, Nippon Koei and Philkoei International Inc.
Being socially inclusive, CGC will be open to people from all walks of life to foster genuine communities. It will be made to be enjoyed by the public—local farmers and indigenous peoples from the area will be provided with livelihood opportunities so they will find their niche in CGC.