Duterte set to release list of Clark-bound government agencies

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines — President Duterte will announce through an administrative order the government agencies that will relocate to Clark as part of efforts to decongest Metro Manila.

“There is a framework being developed in the form of an administrative order that is currently being drafted to program the phased move of government offices from Metro Manila to Clark,” Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and chief executive officer Vivencio Dizon said yesterday.

The government is positioning the 9,450-hectare New Clark City as the country’s next capital.

One of the components of New Clark City is the 200-hectare National Government Administrative Center (NGAC), which broke ground last Jan. 23.

Phase 1 of the NGAC involves the construction of backup offices of various agencies to decongest Metro Manila and ensure continuous business operations and services in case of disasters or natural calamities.

Dizon said not all government offices will be moved from Metro Manila to Clark.

“There will be some government agencies that must not be (transferred) because their functions must be in the capital, in Metro Manila. But there are several that would move to Clark, especially those that involve themselves in infrastructure development such as the DOTr (Department of Transportation) which has already moved,” Dizon said.

“Also, agencies involved in disaster preparedness and disaster response and management such as Office of Civil Defense, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and others. Those agencies will be part of the first phase between now and 2022 that will be moving and later on there will be other government agencies as part of that strategy to move to Clark,” he added.

DOTr’s transfer to Clark received opposition from some of its employees last year.

Aside from the DOTr which has already transferred its head office to Clark, Dizon said there have been at least six more agencies “which are quite sizeable” that have expressed interest to transfer to Clark.

“We will know who and how many will relocate once the administrative order is final and has been signed,” Dizon said.

The BCDA and Malaysian developer MTD Capital Bhd, the parent firm of AlloyMTD Philippines, are undertaking the development of NGAC.

“It’s just bringing the government offices together. (Bringing) the agencies that work together closer to one another to make sure that there’s efficiency in doing business, efficiency in doing government service. Our vision is for us not to travel around Metro Manila traffic just to get our business done,” AlloyMTD president and CEO Patrick Nicholas David said.