ANGELES CITY — The Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) has renewed its call for the abolition of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) for its continued indifference towards the development of the Clark International Airport (CIA).
“Ing matsura keng BCDA aliwa ya ing bibye ra. Adwan taya ing airport aliwa ing bibye da. Manhid kayo? (The problem with the BCDA is they give us something different when all we are asking for is the airport. Are you (BCDA) callous?),” Cruz pointed out.
The BCDA should have focused on developing former US military bases consistent with its mandate instead of competing with local government units (LGUs) in housing development, hotel and tourism businesses and now agriculture, he pointed out referring to the latest BCDA announcement of a P59-billion Clark Green City.
Former US military bases like Clark and Subic; Crow Valley Range Complex and Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac; Naval Air Station in Cubi Point, Olongapo City; Poro Point in La Union; Camp John Hay in Baguio City; and even the Naval Station in Sangley Point, Cavite City should have been converted into economic zones to support countryside development and help decongest Manila.
These are essential for development in Luzon or even the whole country since they are strategically located all over the Luzon island, he said.
Cruz said no Filipino would think of working abroad if we have good job opportunities and our salaries are competitive.
But OFWs have multiplied by tenfolds showing clearly that BCDA has not done its job, Cruz said.
The PGKM lacks faith in a government that depends on the remittances of OFWs for its dollar reserves and economic uptrend instead of creating jobs for its people, Cruz said.
Cruz said the BCDA’s real mandate is to invite foreign and domestic investors in the economic zones so that they can put up businesses that could generate employment for Filipinos, he said.
But sadly, the BCDA misses the point because they are bankrupt in ideas, Cruz said.
A lot of money will again be wasted, P59 billion, for another unworthy project, Cruz lamented.
During the time of President Ramos, Cruz said, he promised a premier international airport in Clark that’s why they brought in a lot of duty-free stores to complement airport operations. But it ended there, now we have a duty-free operator in Clark who has become a billionaire instead of the full development of the CIA, he said.
Cruz said the BCDA should have developed the former US bases into economic zones that could create employment that would be competitive to worldwide standards.
It is high time that PNoy should come to his senses and put the direction of the BCDA in the right path or “daang matuwid,” he said.
