ANGELES CITY- The Army’s 7th Infantry Division (ID) has beefed up its operations to better secure “areas where there are the most number of big ticket foreign and domestic investors” and major road projects that would link up Northern Luzon regions.
7th ID commander Brig. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang said his soldiers have been ordered to better secure “the freeports and special economic zones of Aurora, Subic, Bataan, and Clark whose airport is being eyed to be a complementary to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.”
He also said 7th ID soldiers are securing the ongoing construction of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) and even areas covered by the pending construction of Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEx).
He did not say, however, whether the move was prompted by increased security threats in the areas or also part of security moves for the 2013 elections.
Catapang noted that the 89-kilometer TPLEx would link with the existing North Luzon and Subic-Clark-Tarlac expressways towards the Ilocos, Cordillera and Central Luzon regions.
The Regional Development Council (RDC) said TPLEx “is expected to spur further economic growth to Northern Luzon provinces which are known as food baskets of the country.”
“It is initially eyed to have two lanes and subsequently be expanded to four lanes when capacity reaches to 25,000 vehicles per day,” the RDC said.
The RDC said that on the other hand, the proposed 66.6-kilometer CLLEx “seeks to improve access to the food baskets of Cagayan Valley, the province of Aurora, and the eastern part of Cordillera for safer, faster and more predictable movement of people and goods going to and from Metro Manila and Central Luzon.”
“It will connect from the terminus of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway in Tarlac City, then eastward to Cabanatuan City, and finally northward to San Jose City in Nueva Ecija,” the RDC said.
Catapang also said the 7th ID is now actively involved in the protection of Mt. Arayat in Pampanga.
“This is being guarded by about 100 men who have also been involved in the planting of fruit-bearing trees under the National Greening Program (NGP),” he said.
