CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Central Luzon’s Regional Development Council (RDC) has approved projects worth some P3.3 billion in areas mostly located near the Clark Freeport whose international airport is being groomed to become the country’s premiere gateway.
The RDC said the projects are under the government’s “convergence program for enhancing tourism access” being implemented by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The RDC list enumerated the projects as the the P277 million widening of West Circumferential Road in Angeles City which covers part of Clark Freeport, the P185 million widening of Clark-Angeles-Magalang road also in Angeles, and the P694 million widening of the road leading to Clark International Airport (CIA) in the cities of Angeles and San Fernando.
Also cited were another P327 million second road leading to CIA in Angeles City, a P600 million third road towards the CIA and the P600 million East Circumferential road, both in Angeles City.
The approved projects also included the P373 million rehabilitation of Olongapo-San Fernando road in Olongapo City, the P201 million widening and concreting of Paseo del Congreso in Malolos City in Bulacan, and the P75 million Lourdes- Clark road in Bamban, Tarlac.
The RDC said the projects were in line with Republic Act 9593, otherwise known as the Tourism Act of 2009, citing tourism as “an indispensable element of the national economy and an industry of national interest and importance which must be harnessed as an engine of socio-economic growth and cultural affirmation to generate investment, foreign exchange and employment and to continue to mold an enhanced sense of national pride for all Filipinos.”
The program is being implemented by DOT and DPWH in partnership with Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) and Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
The RDC said it is mandated to approve proposed projects under such tourism program so that they could be allocated funds from the DPWH.
The RDC serves as the counterpart of the National Economic Development Authority at the regional level by coordinating and setting the direction of all economic and social development efforts in the region.
Its members include all governors, city mayors, municipal mayors of capital towns, presidents of municipal mayors league, regional directors of national government agencies and representatives from the private sector in each region.
