ANGELES CITY- With prospects of hosting some 3,000 senior ministers and other delegates to a conference of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in January next year, Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan has imposed June 5 this year as deadline for all infrastructure, tourism and other projects in this city.
The projects would cost some P326.1 million and were all lined up to beautify this city and ensure smoother traffic in time for the APEC conference, Pamintuan said. He said he was initially disappointed with the pace with which contractors of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPPWH) and the state-owned Clark Development Corp. (CDC) were implementing some of the projects, prompt ing him to impose the June 5 deadline.
Pamintuan said the projects under the DPWH included the upgrading of the Pandan-Magalang Road costing P60 million, the MacArthur Highway in commercial Balibago district costing P41.5 million, the Friendship Road costing P60 million, and widening and upgrade of the drainage system along Don Bonifacio Road costing P19 million.
Footbridges across busy roads are also afoot, including one costing P22 million in front of the Chevalier School near this city’s boundary with the capital city of San Fernando. Another one is eyed across the highway in Balibago district in front of Systems Plus school.
Pamintuan said the APEC conference will be held at Clark Freeport next January, with most of the delegates expected to be billeted in hotels in the city where local businesses are bracing for tourism opportunities.
Joy Cruz, administrator of the Angeles Heritage District Committee said that on top of the DPWH projects, the city government allocated P18.6 million for the creation of a park to be called Plaza Angel in the area of the Sto. Rosario parish church where the historic Pamintuan Mansion is located.
The mansion was where Emilio Aguinaldo commemorated the first anniversary of Philippine Independence in 1899.
A creek in the area would be covered with concrete slabs to allow for more grass-covered promenading area with trellis adorned with “culiat” plants. This city used to be named after the plant. Already, telecom firms have complied with Pamintuan’s request for them to remove unsightly “spaghetti wires” hanging from posts in the heritage district.
“We will go underground, just like in Europe,” said Pamintuan who recently arrived from a trip to Barcelona, Spain.
Pamintuan also said the CDC has belatedly vowed to fi nally work on a new P15 million rotunda at the Bayanihan Park at the main gate to Clark Freeport. “I was disappointed over delays on this project which could ease traffic in the area,” he said, noting that the fund for the project would come from the CDC.
“We have finally agreed on a timetable so that the bidding for the project could be done from May to June, the start of construction in July and the completion in November this year,” he said. The project is the only one exempted from the June 5 deadline.
The mayor also noted that the projects timed for APEC also included the P90 million lighting of posts, stretching several kilometers from Friendship Road along the perimeter fence of Clark up to the MacArthur Highway through the City of San Fernando.
This is on top of the cost of bills to be paid for the reactivation of at least three traffic lights in various parts of the city, he said.
