MANILA – The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has received an unsolicited proposal from MTD Capital Berhad (MTD Capital) to establish the 207-hectare New Clark City National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) through a joint venture agreement. Estimated cost for the project is P121.8 billion.
MTD Capital Berhad is a Malaysian-based investment holding company with interest in civil engineering and construction, infrastructure development, real estate and property development, energy, ports, and manufacturing of construction related materials. It is the parent company of AlloyMtd Philippines.
In its proposal, MTD Capital Berhad will provide financing of the project, as well as technical and engineering expertise for the construction and operations and maintenance of the New Clark City Government Administrative Center. All of its components, salient features and terms shall be subject for thorough review, negotiations and approval of BCDA.
According to MTD Capital Berhad, the national government administrative center will not just house satellite offices but the major administrative offices of various executive departments and agencies.
Among the salient features of MTD Capital Berhad’s proposal is the construction of an extension office of the Philippine President and executive buildings, site development for embassies and international schools, buildings to serve as housing for government employees, sports facilities, a central communications and security command center, public schools, a government hospital, a public library, and buildings for community centers.
BCDA’s proposed site plan for the first phase of the project, costs P17 billion, and will cover 50 hectares of the 207-hectare total area of the New Clark City government administrative center.
MTD Capital Berhad’s proposal follows the practice of other progressive countries of establishing national government administrative centers outside the country’s capital – such as Putrajaya in Malaysia and Sejong City in South Korea – with a view to easing traffic congestion and overpopulation in the metropolitan area.
New Clark City, BCDA’s flagship project, is a new metropolis that will rise in the Clark Special Economic Zone in Capas and Bamban, Tarlac. It is envisioned to be the country’s first and only smart and green city, featuring mixed-use real estate developments, an agro-industrial park, and a food processing terminal.
The New Clark City complements other BCDA big-ticket projects namely, the Clark International Airport expansion, and the Subic-Clark Cargo Railway, aimed at providing interconnectivity in the whole archipelago, and provide an efficient mass transportation for Filipinos.
