03/12/2009 [ tribune.net.ph ]
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has spruced up portions of the immediate vicinities of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to attract foreign investors and at the same time create an impression of “Beautiful Philippines” among visitors.
MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando yesterday said repair, beautification and rehabilitation works around the airport area, under the “Pook Na Bulok, Negosyo Hindi Papasok” urban renewal project, are nearing completion.
Fernando added cleaning up the airport corridor is aimed not only at making it more attractive to potential investors but also at providing residents with a cleaner, safer place to live in and at the same time improving traffic flow in the area.
The project involves the clearing and recovery of sidewalks, repair and repainting of houses lining up the roads leading to and from the airport, beautification of center islands and installation of various traffic furnitures to ease traffic congestion in the area.
Fernando said this project is being undertaken in partnership with the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).
“We are upgrading the area with the end view of enabling residents to have a meaningful livelihood,” he said, adding a clean and hygienic environment is more likely to entice investors to put up businesses than in filthy surroundings.
On the corner of MIA Road and Domestic Road, the MMDA chief said they had already relocated several illegal settlers and transferred the trees to other places. The nearby creek has also been cleaned up.
“After three years, the place now looks productive,” he said.
Along the Ninoy Aquino Avenue, on the other hand, the MMDA has also cleared up the sidewalks and removed all the encroachments and, in coordination with the concerned barangays, converted the cleared areas into parking spaces.
Tower lights have also been installed along the roads leading to and from the airport area, Fernando said.
The airport clean-up project is part of the MMDA’s “Metro Gwapo” program, Fernando’s endeavor to turn the metropolis into a more livable and tourist-friendly environment by 2010 comparable with the best in neighboring countries.
Of the 5,000 kilometers of total roadways, more than 2,000 kilometers have already been cleared and rehabilitated by the MMDA, according to Fernando. Pat C. Santos
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