“That’s a welcome development,” Pamintuan said.
In his Facebook post, Pamintuan also said the Manila-Clark railway should have been finished a long time ago but the Aquino administration was full of vengeance: “Dapat noon pa TAPOS ang rail na yan…puro venganza alam ng dating administrasyon .”
Mabalacat City Mayor Marino “Boking” Morales also lauded the Manila-Clark railway system saying it will bring progress not only to Clark but to the whole province of Pampanga and the region.
“The Manila-Clark railway would be a catalyst for development in the region which is in pursuit of President-elect Duterte’s advocacy of developing the countryside,” the Mabalacat mayor pointed out.
Morales also said Manila-Clark railway would hasten the development of the Clark airport.
Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (PamCham) vice chairman Rene Romero welcomed China’s offer saying this will spur development in the countryside.
He said PamCham have been advocating to decongest Metro Manila and the Manila-Clark railway would contribute to that advocacy.
Also on Facebook, businessman Marco Nepomuceno said “rich countries don’t want their neighbors to be poor because then they can’t afford to buy the output of their numerous factories. Like the U.S., China wants the citizens of the Philippines and other third world countries to have more purchasing power and expendable income.”
He said the biggest trading partner of China is the US, and therefore China wants all of her trading partners to have the same purchasing power as the US.
“So, as in Africa where there are many Chinese investments, so too in the Philippines,” he added.
Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president-CEO Emigdio “Dino” Tanjuatco III said any plan to build infrastructure in support to the Clark airport is always a welcome development.
“It’s a welcome development. Any plan to improve the connectivity between Manila and Clark is always a positive sign for the development of Clark. CIAC also proposes the construction of a rail to the North and a cargo rail to Subic,” he said.
Tanjuatco explained that it will also be better if a railway system from Clark to Northern Luzon will be built because Clark’s catchment basin is there.
Duterte had previously said his dream legacy would be to build these train lines for the Philippines.
It can be recalled that on the campaign trail, Duterte had mentioned he would accept such train systems from China in exchange for agreeing to a joint exploration of the disputed West Philippine Sea.
Duterte clarified that this recent offer from China did not come with talks on the maritime dispute.
Duterte then asked the businessmen attending the Davao forum if they can match the Chinese offer: “Can you match the offer? Because if you cannot match the offer, I will accept the goodwill of China. My job is to see to it that the people are comfortable.”
The incoming president is so serious about China’s proposal that he wants incoming Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade to go to China.
“Art Tugade has to go to China, not to talk about war, not to talk about irritations there, but to talk about peace,” he said.
