New Clark City Is Open to the Public Again, Here's What's New
New Clark City is open to the public again after two years of quarantine restrictions. The second phase of its development is now in place. What can we expect from the complex moving forward?
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (B.C.D.A.) marked New Clark City's grand reopening on May 28.
"B.C.D.A. felt that it is the right time to reopen New Clark City to the public, and enable visitors to experience what this future metropolis has to offer. We hope this move will uplift the spirit of Filipinos after two years of fighting the virus and inspire optimism that recovery is on the horizon,” said B.C.D.A. CEO Atty. Aristotle B. Batuhan.
During the pandemic, New Clark City converted the area's National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) and Athletes’ Village into medical and isolation facilities. It's now open to visitors every weekend, with free access to its open spaces and viewing decks.
The New Clark City Aquatics Center is the first Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA)-accredited swimming facility in the country.
The metropolis has various developments that are slowly taking shape. These include a 34.55-hectare climate-resilient housing project, a sprawling luxury resort with Widus Consortium, and the 288-hectare mixed-use industrial park. New Clark City is expected to generate more than 600,000 jobs within the 9,450-hectare complex.
"In the masterplan, the vision is to provide jobs. To get the jobs, we must have the industries. So the first locator we have in New Clark City is a mixed-use industrial park. Ito po ang Filinvest (Land)-joint venture natin. This is 288 hectares, and part of that is 100 hectares for industrial park development. Fifty hectares of that 100 is already developed," said B.C.D.A. Senior Vice President for Corporate Services Arrey Perez.
He continued: "This place is meant to become a back-up government center, so you see the building here is the first of the back-up government building, which is an integrated operations center."
The complex will house various satellite government offices in the near future. It should also become new headquarters for various agencies, like the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
A shot of the "Domes Village" installation by Bernardo Pacquing. It's made out of reclaimed hardwood from old houses, combined with custom-made steel connections.
As part of New Clark City's relaunching initiative, cycling apparel brand Twin Cycle Gear (TCG) also held its first New Clark City Cycling Race Event on May 29. An estimated 500 cyclists participated. New Clark City, after all, looks to provide a sustainable, bike-friendly environment as part of its sports tourism campaign.
Biking has been on the rise in recent years, only to be accelerated by the pandemic. This is also an integral aspect of the complex's reopening. Department of Tourism-Region III Supervising Tourism Operations Officer Chriselle May Yambao expects cycling culture to flourish in and around the metropolis.
"To be honest, it's a very long campaign to promote biking as not just a sport, but a lifestyle," she said. "From the side of the Department of Tourism, as a matter of fact, in 2016, we did a project for Central Luzon—the first bike tour expo."
Tarlac Congressman Christian Yap also added that various projects are set in motion to ensure that the province can be seen as a "biking destination." Dedicated bike lanes from the development should also soon connect to the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone.
"We've been working closely with D.P.W.H., identifying bike lanes, helping establish bike safety measures. Tarlac, in our western side, is growing to be a biking destination because of our nice scenic roads," he claimed. "We're establishing bike repair stands. In my town, we have all the railways and PNR lines. So we're establishing it to be a bike path for commuters."
Other components of the complex include the 4.5-hectare River Park, which has art installations by the likes of Kenneth Cobonpue, Bea Valdes, and Bernardo Pacquing. New Clark City is positioned as a "weekend getaway" option for families and tourists, as well.
New Clark City is accessible through the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and the Clark International Airport. The access road from the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) will be opening soon, too.
