Clark Green City: The future of Smart Cities

in the Philippines, or a massive waste of

resources?
Table of
Contents

What is Clark Green City?

Clark Green City is the latest city project of

the Bases Conversion and Development Authority
1
(BCDA). It covers 9,450 hectares of the former
military base in Pampanga which is being
History of Clark Green
converted into the countrys first liveable,
City
2
intelligent, green city. Clark Green City is located
Development Plans and
in a Special Economic Zone to attract potential
Predictions
foreign investors, such as international schools,
and people who are to live here may receive tax
incentives and other privileges that may not be available to them in other
cities.
What is Clark Green City?

During a press briefing, BCDA President and CEO Arnel Paciano Casanova
confirmed that reaching out to Ivy League schools is included in the plan for the
Clark Green City. In terms of utilities, Clark Green City will be patterned after
modern South Korean districts like Songdo City.
Casanova has stated that Clark is the natural choice because of these
key points:

Single business land in a

special economic zone
Surrounded by highly
urbanized cities like Tarlac
City, Mabalacat City, and
Angeles City
It has its own airport, the
biggest in the country.
It is near the seaport in
Subic plus the two Freeport zones

Surrounding industrial zones

are already developed like
the Luisita Industrial Zone
and Hermosa
The construction of the
Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union
Express way (TPLEx) is on
the way, connecting to
Pangasinan, Ilocandia and
Cordillera regions.
The biggest OFW population
is in Central Luzon, thus the power to
purchase and consume.

History of Clark Green

City

Proposed Plans and

Predictions of Clark Green
City

Fully walkable and will

have efficient mass
transport

All traffic, weather

monitoring, disaster
management, and
security are hosted
in one integrated
operation center.
Districts will be
divided into:
o Government
District
o Central
Business
District
o Agri-forestry
research and
development
district
o Wellness and
Eco-tourism
District
o Academic
District
Disaster-resilient
Estimated to contribute
P1.57 trillion ($358.61
billion) per year to the
economy and will
generate 925,000 jobs.
The country's most
modern food processing

October 30, 2014 - the BCDA unveiled its plans

to build the city in a 35,000-hectare location inside
the economic zone of Tarlac.
Nov 2012 - the release of the master plan for a
green city was set for Q1 2013. In a presentation
to the inter-agency Infrastructure Committee
(Infracom) on Wednesday,

Aug 2013 - the National Economic and

Development Authority (NEDA) approves the
master plan for the development of the Clark
Freeport and Special Economic Zone into the
previously announced green city.
June 2014 - Named the Clark Green City, the first
phase of the development is estimated at P59
billion. The BCDA was preparing the terms of
reference for the bidding of 1,300 hectares out of
the 9,450 hectares of the development.
- The BCDA is luring potential locators in the
proposed Clark Green City with fiscal and nonfiscal incentives, including tax exemptions.

Clark Green City

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Residents may several

privileges such as tax
incentives that may not
be available to them in
other cities.
Possible inclusion of Ivy
League schools such as
Harvard or Yale
University
All infrastructures in the
city will adhere to
environment-friendly
parameters

July 28, 2014 President Aquino announces in his SONA that phase one of
Clark Green City has begun its construction.
Q3 2014 Planned time frame for bidding process of Phase 1 of Clark Green
City

President Aquino in his State of the Nation Address

Clark Green City

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Possible Hindrances to the

Completion and Management
of Clark Green City
Problems to Completion

Less than predicted

foreign investment,
therefore, less usable
capital for development
and disruption of district
plans.
Large cost requirement
(59 B for Phase 1 of 3
phases), therefore
possibility for detraction
of capital by the
government for other
projects.
Corruption in the
development staff,
causing disruptions in the
overall development.
Long time frame for
construction (50 years)
allowing chances for the
problems mentioned
earlier to manifest.

Problems to Management
Distance between major
urban areas in NCR and
CGC may have
problematic ramifications
in terms of traffic in the
NLEX and SCTEX.
Possibility of
overpopulation due to
migration from other
provinces, causing
possible slum areas in the
city.
Other problems that may be
caused by the city
Diversion of development

Clark Green City

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Location of Clark Green City

Voters Opinion
Because of the nature of the development of the city, being that it will
have a long period provided for the development of the entire city separated
into several phases, there is ample time for disruptions and hindrances to
manifest.
One example of opposition of the project is The Chairman of the Pinoy
Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) of the Clark Green City Master Development
Plan, Ruperto Cruz, who has6 said:
By its very name, the plan is already misleading. By green city, do
they mean organic farming or agro-forestry-centered development?
The very purpose of the Clark Green City, as presented by Casanova,
is a total negation of the spirit and intent of RA 7227 or the Bases Conversion
Development Act. Instead of sparking the parallel development of the
communities contiguous to Clark, it will decimate all developments there.

Clark Green City

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With Clark open to housing

developments and resort and
recreation complexes, what will
happen to the now developing
housing industry in Angeles City,
Porac, Mabalacat, as far as
Bamban and Capas?
RA 7227 likewise envisions
an aviation-driven, industrialbased, labor-intensive and export-oriented development for Clark all this
sadly invalidated in the BCDAs plan to convert Clark into an exclusive
subdivision.
So much money being talked here, while the Clark airport has
remained in a very sorry state. Add to this the P59 billion for BCDAs green
city, and we cant help but suspect that the 2016 presidential election is
already at play here, Cruz said. Campaign funds, anyone?
The following interviews will have respondents from the family and
friends of the authors of this article and the following questions will be asked
from each of them:

Given the information on the project, do you think this project is

feasible? Why?
What factors could affect the success of the project?
Based on the factors stated earlier, what suggestions could you
give to the management of the project in developing the city?

Clark Green City

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When interviewed by Zharina Adlawan

about Clark Green City, registered voter, Josefina
U. Adlawan, said, "It could happen if only our
government wasn't so corrupt. That's one
reason. Another reason is because of the
weather problems we've been having, but if
there is a will there is a way. This is a very good
project. Our government should learn something
from the Koreans. South Korea already has its
own "smart city". If they can do it, we can do it
too. We just need everyone in this country to
straighten up. Stop electing corrupted people.
When interviewed by
Zharina Adlawan about Clark
Green City, registered voter,
Ermito O. Adlawan, said, This
project is feasible but it will not
come true. With the people in our
government today this will never
push through or be completed
because of their greed. The
money for this project will just
end up in their pockets. Aside
from corruption another factor
that we can consider is when
they turn this project over to the next generation. When this happens, it is
possible that this project will be forgotten. I believe this is true because it
shows in our past and history of our government. I believe that history will
repeat itself. All though this may seem like a very nice and positive project if
the government wants to prove itself they can use this opportunity to get the
trust of the people back. If they are able to prove something then, being able
to continue and be more supportive of this project means our government
can change. Zharina added, My father firmly believes that this project will
never be completed because the money will only end up in the pockets of
the corrupted.
When interviewed by Ysabelle De Mesa, voter Kelly Yangco said, "It is
possible, if the management does their work properly. Assign a head for the
project with the proper know how and an impeccable reputation, rid of any
corruption. That would speed it up for sure."
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The Authors:

Zharina Adlawan

Authors Opinion
As Filipinos, we personally believe that the Clark
Green City project can be completed successfully. But, it
can only be completed if several conditions are met.
These conditions are that the resources used for the
project are allocated properly such that there is no
wastage, that any trace of corruption is eliminated from
the project, that there are enough

Through good governance,

Our vision is to

create the city of the

future for Filipinos.
Were not simply
creating a city; we are
providing a
benchmark for all
other cities to
emulate. The city that
is safe, that provides
opportunities for
everyone, and uplifts
the dignity of human
beings as they live

Clark Green City

Ysabelle De Mesa

we have been regaining the trust

of the market, of the world, and of
our own people, in government.
This is creating a virtuous cycle:

Seeing the results of our reform

agenda has spurred the active

ouji Tomas

participation of each and every

one of our Bosses. Indeed: today

Senior
the government is not alone
in

-H

pushing for widespread and

meaningful reform. It is true that
you are our strength.
Page 8

investors to fuel the project, and that there is a smooth flow of operations in
the development. However, the management should also take into
consideration of the various natural and artificial factors that may affect the
project such as the possibility of typhoons and earthquakes and, therefore,
should take safety precautions and disaster readiness protocols. When all is
said and done, a project such as this should utilize all its resources properly
to avoid wastage. The leaders of said project should also use their power for
the good of the people and the state such that the project will be for the
benefit of the populace and not as an opportunity to obtain cash. To quote
President Aquino, good governance creates a virtuous cycle and as such, we
need good governance to progress as a state and, therefore, should manifest
in our government at all times.

Sources:
http://www.rappler.com/previous-articles?filterMeta=Clark+Green+City
http://ppp.gov.ph/?tag=clark-green-city-project
http://punto.com.ph/News/Article/18284/Volume-7-No-29/Headlines/PGKM-ripsClark-Green-City-plan-br-i-Calls-for-BCDA-abolition-i
http://www.clarksubicmarketing.com/blog/?p=74
http://www.gov.ph/2014/07/28/english-benigno-s-aquino-iii-fifth-state-of-the-nationaddress-july-28-2014/
Image sources:
http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/F1D54DB48
57344DAB9406D7175A736DA/clark-green-city-20140603.jpg
http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/9ABE9B259
6B04C64983669088B5882AE/bcda-green-city-20140714.jpg
http://www.clarkisit.com/man-vision-atty-arnel-casanova-2/
http://punto.com.ph/data/article-image/web%20dsc_0300(1).jpg
http://attracttour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Sona.png

Clark Green City

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