Families displaced by Clark project to get compensation

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines – The Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) has agreed to pay P300,000 per hectare of property to families who will be displaced by the proposed Clark Green City.

Capas Mayor Antonio Rodriguez said the draft of a memorandum of agreement between BCDA and the municipal government would be finalized to make the compensation rate official.

The project will cover a huge area of Capas and is seen to become the country’s most modern and the first technologically integrated city composed of residential, commercial, agro-industrial, institutional and information technology sites.

Rodriguez said about 2,000 families are to be affected by the Clark Green City project.

“There was an initial offer of only P50,000 per hectare. That was too low until we arrived at P300,000 per hectare,” he said.

Rodriguez said the affected families would be relocated, but he did not provide details on this matter.

The Clark Green City will cover 9,450 hectares and is estimated to cost $14 billion.

 It will have five districts, for government, central business, academes, agri-forestry research and development, and wellness, recreation and eco-tourism.

The BCDA said three property developers – Ayala Land Inc., Filinvest Land Inc. and Megaworld Corp. – have secured bid documents for the initial 288-hectare portion of the project.

BCDA president and chief executive officer Arnel Paciano Casanova said they extended the deadline for the issuance of terms of reference (TOR) as well as the submission of eligibility documents and final proposals.

The new deadline for the issuance of TOR was moved from July 1 to Sept. 3, while the submission of eligibility documents and final proposal will be at noon of Sept. 8 instead of July 3.

Casanova said the new deadlines would give interested parties more time to secure necessary eligibility documents for their bids.