Tieng family on a roll, eyes new casino resort

MANILA, Philippines – The Tieng family is set to start another reclamation project, The Solar City, an integrated casino resort on a 148-hectare site in Manila Bay.

This is in addition to a proposal to build a $50 billion airport and seaport off Sangley Point in Cavite, said Wilson Tieng, president of All-Asia Resources & Reclamation Corp. (ARRC).

After years of extensive planning, development of the so-called Solar City is expected to finally start before the end of the year.

“It will start right away, before the end of the year,” Tieng said in an interview.

He said the proposed world-class central business district would have a residential space, an international cruise ship terminal and a high-end entertainment enclave that would include gaming.

“Upon completion, Solar City, part of what is also known as the Manila Goldcoast Reclamation Project or MGRP is destined, simply, to be one of the best if not the best places to live, work and play in Southeast Asia rivalling Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau,” ARRC said in its profile of projects.

Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) chairman Roberto Muldong said Solar City would spur new developments in the city.

“We’ve been waiting for that. It’s one of the best (reclamation) projects,” he said in a separate interview.

According to ARRC, planning for the project started as early as the 1990s.

The proposed area would cover the break between the Manila Yacht Club and the US embassy.

The development plan took into consideration the relocation of the city landmark Manila Yacht Club to a better, more spacious location and the eventual relocation of the Philippine Navy Headquarters (Fort Abad) to Sangley Naval Station in Cavite City and the transfer of the Philippine Coast Guard located within the yacht club basin through a land swap agreement.

In a previous presentation, ARRC said of the 148 hectares of land to be reclaimed, about 56 percent would belong to the company and the rest shall go to the government and the public.