Updated July 27, 2009 12:00 AM [ philstar.com ]
MANILA, Philippines - Clark businessmen and Angeles City residents now take the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) for their transport requirements en route to Manila and Subic Bay.
The CEOs of a major investors’ league in Clark Freeport Zone (CFZ) said they prefer to use the 94-kilometer stretch for its time efficiency, citing reduced travel time as among the advantages of using the state-owned expressway.
“SCTEX has made business and other activities easier not only for Clark investors but also for Angeles City residents and commuters,” Clark Investors and Locators Association, Inc. (CILA) president Jeannie del Rosario-Ng said.
CILA is among the leading business organizations that played a big role in attracting 781 investments in Clark. The association has been in existence for the past 10 years and has consistently been at the forefront in addressing aspirations and concerns of the locators.
She noted that since SCTEX became operational in July 2008, a lot of local tourists from Angeles City now go to Subic Bay to see the theme parks and other attractions in the economic zone.
“We are using the interchanges to travel to and from Manila to avoid traffic at the McArthur Highway,” Philippine Sundt Construction and Development Co. president David Marr said.
Nanette Qua of Amerton Global said, “it helps reduce our travel time. It is the best alternative route to avoid the congested Dau area.”
“The south entrance has been a great help for commuters to travel from North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to SCTEX then to Clark that fast,” said Mike Sozon of Clark Liberty Warehouse Club, Inc. He suggested though that, “if possible the NLEX EC-Tag be integrated with SCTEX.”
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) opened last April 5 the Clark South Interchange. Similarly, last Dec. 23, 2008, the Clark North Interchange became operational. Both interchanges provide direct access to and from Clark and the SCTEX.
Clark South Interchange will bring motorists from SCTEX right to the main artery of the CFZ providing easy access to the Clark Development Corp. Offices (CDC) and the Clark International Airport Corp. Offices (CIAC), duty free shops, resorts and hotels, restaurants and mall.
On the other hand, the Clark North Interchange is the entry point nearest to the Clark Special Economic Zone’s (CSEZ) sub-zone—tagged as the “The Next Frontier”. It is the closer route to Expo Filipino, Nayong Pilipino-Clark, various recreational destinations and Texas Instruments.
As this developed, additional exit and entry lanes at the Mabalacat interchange are being constructed to address the growing traffic volume in the state-of-the-art travel facility.
SCTEX, which is the centerpiece of Central Luzon logistics hub, has begun stimulating socio-economic growth in the Subic-Clark corridor and the entire region.
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