Nayong Pilipino Foundation Inc. (NPFI) executive director Charito Planas said President Arroyo wants the 120-hectare reclamation area "reserved" for Pagcor to be turned over to Nayong Pilipino.
Planas said park management has been negotiating with Pagcor for the past two weeks and have come to an agreement "in principle."
She added that Nayong Pilipino and Pagcor would "swap lands." Some 25 hectares of the 16-hectare park, including the Philippine Village Hotel, would be turned over to Pagcor in exchange for the reclamation area along Roxas Boulevard in Parañaque City that the latter initially eyed for its multi-billion dollar project.
The rest would be allotted to the new Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3. The dual taxiway of the new airport would be built on some 8.6 hectares of the park’s old site.
Planas yesterday hosted a media tour for a "last look" at the old Nayong Pilipino, which was built more than 30 years ago. Demolition started in the park last week.
A source told The STAR that the E-City was a Pagcor-initiated project, "envisioned to be a Macau or Las Vegas-type of entertainment city."
"Certainly, the casinos would be the E-City’s main point, its focus," the source said. The source added that the theme parks mentioned in PEA’s 2001 annual report could only be an "added value" to the E-City.
Planas emphasized the "Bagong Nayong Pilipino" would not include casinos. "The President doesn’t even want to hear that," she said. – Nikko Dizon