CLARK FREEPORT –— Acting Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda will support President Rodrigo Duterte’s P80-billion infrastructure projects such as the Clark International Airport, Clark Green City, Manila-Clark Railway and Subic-Clark Railway.
“You have the 100-percent support of the Pampanga provincial government because these projects are going to bring big developments to us in Pampanga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija and the rest of Central Luzon,” Pineda told elected officials and business leaders in Central and Northern Luzon regions.
The entrepreneurs gathered for the Clark Development Projects Stakeholders Roadshow organized by state-owned agencies Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), Clark Development Corp. (CDC) and Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) to strengthen unity for President Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program.
Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who as President conceptualized the “Super Regions” plan and secured the land for the Clark Civil Aviation Complex, led officials in signing a manifesto of support to Mr. Duterte’s 10-point socioeconomic agenda. This includes the “acceleration of infrastructure spending to account for five percent (5%) of Gross Domestic Product, with Public-Private Partnerships playing a key role.”
The manifesto stated that the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone is the “focal point for the development of these ambitious infrastructure projects which will immediately benefit not just the vicinity of Central Luzon, but the entire Philippines as well.”
It said the BCDA, CDC, CIAC, Subic-Clark Alliance for Development, Pampanga and Tarlac provinces, First and Second Districts of Pampanga, Second and Third District of Tarlac, Bamban and Capas towns in Tarlac, Angeles and Mabalacat cities and Porac town in Pampanga are “united in contributing to the realization of the President’s agenda and we support the President’s Infrastructure Plan.”
“We will strive for the inter-operability of our respective internal processes to attain these projects in the timeliest and most efficient manner in line with this administration’s slogan of “Matapang na Solusyon, Mabilis na Aksyon,” the signatories said.
“Build, Build, Build” is the “boldest, most ambitious” infrastructure program in history as it has been allocated 5.4 percent of the 2017 budget of the Duterte administration. This is more than double the average 2.6 percent spending on infrastructure by six administrations in 50 years, BCDA president and chief executive officer Vivencio Dizon said.