In her welcome remarks during the Pampanga Megalopolis presentation at the Kingsborough Convention Center here on Friday, Pineda said, together with former president and now 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, they are now “ready to retire.”
“We are on our last term after serving for almost 30 years in government,” Pineda said. “Sa last term namin, nag-usap po kami na hanggang dito na lang po kami (In our last term, we talked that we will be only up to here),” Pineda disclosed. Both Pineda’s and Arroyo’s terms end in 2019.
“At nandito po tayo bilang head po ng Province of Pampanga at ang ating former president at ngayon congresswoman bago po kami mag retire gusto po naming maachieve ang aming mga pangarap, ang pangarap ng lahat ng mga Kapampangan na sana ang Province of Pampanga ay siya’ng maging number one at pinakamaunlad sa buong Pilipinas (I am here as head of the Province of Pampanga and our former president and now congresswoman before we retire we want to achieve our aspirations, the aspirations of all Kapampangans that our Province of Pampanga will be number one and the most progressive in the whole Philippines),” she said amid resounding applause.
“Sana po itong natitira naming taon ng ating former president at ang inyong governor, ay huwag mabigo (I hope that our remaining years of service of our former president and your governor won’t fail),” she said.
“That is why we are now on a fast track mode,” she explained as she intends not only to leave a “lasting legacy” to the Kapampangans but also a “high impact legacy” which forms part of her three-point legacy agenda including “sure success” and “quick and responsive results.”
Flooding
This will be realized with a master development plan for a Pampanga Megalopolis towards a vision for the Pampanga Growth Triangle, Pineda said.
But the governor pointed out that flooding in the province must first be resolved.
Pineda noted that this is the first presentation of the Pampanga urban planning made by world renowned Filipino Architect Felino “Jun” A. Palafox, Jr.
For her part, Arroyo said Pampanga has one of the lowest poverty levels at seven percent, and it is not diffi cult to realize the megalopolis vision “as long as we have the right planning.”
She acknowledged the presence of investors like the Philippine Airlines (PAL) group headed by its senior vice president Nicky Gozon as she announced that the airline company will now be operating at the Clark International Airport to Korea.
Arroyo also acknowledged other investors present like Hausland Development Corp., SM Supermalls, Robinsons Malls, Ayala Land, and Century Properties among others.
“We have to invite them because every time Palafox makes a presentation, land values go up. It is only fair that we give them advance notice,” Arroyo said.
The former president was thankful to Palafox who said he gave a 50 percent discount for doing the Pampanga urban planning.
“The other 50 percent, as told by Gov. Pineda, will be shouldered by the other investors by asking them to give their contributions. We recall the first investor Ramon Ang of San Miguel who said okay to pick up the rest of the balance therefore this is a wonderful work of cooperation among many stakeholders in our province,” Arroyo said.
“And we have Jun Palafox, the best architect in the world doing our plans,” she added.
“With all of you having a stake in the future of Pampanga, we will indeed see the day when Pampanga will be the richest province in the country,” Arroyo declared.
Inception
Palafox presented the inception plan for the so called “Pampanga Megalopolis” as a thousand stakeholders watch his presentation. Palafox said the Pampanga Growth Triangle will have national and regional signifi cance and will be a beacon of light in terms of urban and economic development.
Palafox, now ranked number 69 in the list of Best Architects in the World, drew raves from the audience, including representatives from government and the private sector, especially with his presentation of “Postcards from the Future” even as skeptics readily noticed its lack of details.
Pineda explained that a more realistic approach to Palafox’s Megalopolis would be to finish the whole planning of Pampanga in the first 100 days with the first priority of solving the flooding in the low lying areas in the province.
It can start with the development of the Pampanga Growth Triangle with the cities of Mabalacat, San Fernando and Angeles; and the municipalities of Magalang and Porac anchored on the Clark Freeport Zone, an area that is generally flood-free, she noted.
“By mutual cooperation, we will achieve our goal,” she declared. The governor said the provincial government will also start land banking in the province’s densely populated areas.
Pineda said also doable in the short term plan would be the “Wetlland Tours,” a 10-kilometer river cruise from Lubao town to Manila Bay.
Pineda started her career in public service as a municipal councilor of Lubao in 1988 before becoming its mayor from 1992 to 2001. She was elected Provincial Board Member representing the province’s second district in 2001 and served the position until 2007.
Pineda was elected governor in 2010.
