Proposal to relocate Malacañang revived

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang is reviving an old proposal to relocate the seat of government to Pampanga, President Arroyo’s home province, after tropical storm “Ondoy” brought deadly floods to Metro Manila.

Acting Public Works Secretary Victor Domingo said there was a proposal to transfer Malacañang, Congress, the judiciary and other government offices to a 3,000-hectare plateau in Floridablanca, Pampanga.

“This (proposal) is very timely now because of the calamities,” Domingo told reporters.

He said the cost of the transfer would not be huge because the government owns the land and there are already existing water and power systems.

The parcel of land is located near the Clark Special Economic Zone and Subic Bay Freeport, and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.

Domingo once headed the Office of the Presidential Adviser on New Government Centers, which is tasked to come up with a comprehensive program for transferring government offices. The office was formed during the Aquino administration.

At the height of the flooding, Malacañang was used as a temporary evacuation center for flood victims. President Arroyo held office in another building within the Palace complex for a week.

“Floods spare no one. Floods do not spare the President of the Philippines. They do not spare the seat of government,” Mrs. Arroyo said in an interview a day after Ondoy lashed the country.