It seems that incoming President Rodrigo Duterte is likely to consider Clark as the next location for a “new city” in a bid to decongest Metro Manila.
According to incoming Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, if the location of a new airport is decided within the next six months, the development of a new city can be completed before the end of Duterte’s term.
Clark is the best location for a new city because it has the Clark International Airport (CRK) in Pampanga and a deep-seaport at Subic Freeport in Zambales.
Finally, the Duterte administration is bent on considering the development of Clark, particularly the Clark airport wherein stakeholders had been demanding for its full development for the past years. CRK has two 3.2-km parallel runways and its area much bigger than the NAIA.
China had earlier offered to build a railway system from Manila to Clark and the Duterte administration was seriously considering the offer.
Clark is an ideal place for a “new city” with the availability of vast lands and infrastructure that is needed to be further developed. Clark can help decongest Metro Manila which is currently plagued with worsening traffic along its major thoroughfares.
The air traffic congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport which already exceeded its capacity is also affecting the safety of passengers.
Should the Duterte government focus on the development of Clark, it will definitely benefit the whole country as this will attract more investments, create jobs and attract more airlines to fly at Clark airport.