By Louella D. Desiderio (The
Philippine Star) | Updated March 19, 2014 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines - The Bases
Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has pegged the cost of the
development of the first phase of the Clark Green City at P1.3 billion.
“The first phase of 1,300 hectares is
(going to cost) something like P1.3 billion,” BCDA chairman Rolando Gosiengfiao
told reporters on the sidelines of the Philippine Economic Briefing yesterday.
He
said that while the master development plan for the Clark Green City has
already been approved by the National Economic and Development Authority
(NEDA), the BCDA is still waiting for President Aquino’s go signal before the
contract for the development could be offered for bidding.
The Clark Green City project, covering
about 40,000 hectares, involves the development of the Clark Freeport and
Special Economic Zone.
The area is being developed to become
an attractive location for investments.
Apart from promoting Clark as an
investment destination, the project would involve the adoption of a Green
Building System to encourage the use of renewable energy as well as sustainable
building and construction developments in the area.
Once operational, Clark Green City is
expected to generate approximately P1.57 trillion per year to the economy and
create 925,000 jobs.
“We want to start the bidding for
Phase I within the year,” Gosiengfiao said.
Even as the BCDA has yet to start the
bidding for the development the first phase of the Clark Green City, it is
already inviting locators to the area.
Gosiengfiao said BCDA has already
invited the University of the Philippines to set up a campus in Clark Green
City.
“I think we should also invite the
private sector participants in the education industry. They are the largest industry
in the Philippines. We want to have all levels of education, primary to
universities,” he said.
After inviting education institutions
to locate there, he said the BCDA would also want firms engaged in light
manufacturing to put up facilities in the area.
The BCDA is responsible for
transforming the former military bases into alternative productive civilian
use.
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