CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga -- The much-anticipated development plan that envisions to position the province of Pampanga as the strongest counter-magnet to Metro Manila and secure it as business and financial center of Northern Luzon, was formally turned over on Thursday to the provincial government of Pampanga.
Dubbed as “The Pampanga Megalopolis Plan,” a comprehensive development plan that seeks to address major issues and challenges, as well as optimize the potentials of the province as an urban growth center, it was received by Governor Lilia Pineda, together with former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in a ceremony held at the Laus Event Center here.
The plan was officially handed over by lawyer Peter Sychiangco, representing Ramon S. Ang, president and chief executive officer of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) that provided the financial grant to formulate the plan, and Architect Felino “Jun” Palafox, Jr., principal architect-urban planner of the Palafox Associates.
Composed of various metropolitan areas, the Pampanga Megalopolis is clustered into four building blocks, namely: Aerotropolis (airport-driven cluster: Angeles City, San Fernando City, Mabalacat, and Mexico), Agropolis (agriculture-driven cluster: Lubao, Guagua, Sta Rita, Bacolor, San Luis, San Simon, Apalit, Santo Tomas, Sta Ana and Magalang), Aquapolis (water-driven cluster: Sasmuan, Macabebe, Minalin, Masantol, and Lubao), and Ecopolis (ecology-driven cluster: Arayat, Candaba, Floridablanca, and Porac).
Each possesses its own strengths to persuade both local and foreign investors, as well as citizens to move there.
Development needed for each of these metropolitan clusters had been identified and would then be addressed through implementation of proposed projects, including, but not limited to, the following specific sectors:
Transportation and Road Infrastructure. A circumferential road and growth corridor is proposed to interconnect all the cities and municipalities in the province.
As a result of consultations conducted with key stakeholders, such as members of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PamCham), officials of provincial and municipal governments, experts from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and a technical working group guided by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), priority and supplementary road projects to complete the circumferential road have been identified. These include, among others, Sasmuan-Masantol Road (Viaduct), Arayat-Magalang Road, Angeles-Porac-Floridablanca Road, Lubao Bypass , Road Extension, Masantol-Macabebe-Apalit-San Simon-San Luis-Arayat Road, Angeles Bypass Road, and SCETEX-Porac Quarry Road.
Alternative Corridor and Transportation Improvement Measures for MacArthur Highway (mass transport). To reduce traffic congestion along the busy MacArthur Highway, a sustainable mass transport system that makes use of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is recommended, including feeder system loops and identified intermodal stations.
Tourism Projects at Uplands and Wetlands. The development framework strategy for Pampanga follows the clustering for the Pampanga Megalopolis, packaging the province’s immense diversity to advance tourism growth.
Tourism circuits are proposed to help the province establish a unique brand for itself and hence better its market potentials in attracting tourists and visitors.
Some of the priority projects for tourism, integrated in the Pampanga Megalopolis Plan, include creation of tourism circuits, setting up of tourism information kiosks and information centers, as well as redevelopment of the Candaba Wetland and Nature Park, Floridablanca Astroscience Center, and Mt. Arayat Eco-Adventure Park.
The proposed priority roads would be incorporated to provide better roadway connectivity between tourist destinations in the province.
Water transport would also be utilized as well, starting with the Lubao Bamboo hub in Lubao town to Bangkung Mapalad in Sasmuan, as the kick start for water transportation.
Integrated Water Resources and Water Supply Planning. Pampanga has significant surface water supplies, which are currently not maximized.
Based on the geographical and topographical features of the province and the high annual rainfall amount, there is also a large volume of surface runoff water that can be contained and impounded.
Developing a series of water retaining ponds and series of water reservoirs would help to significantly mitigate flooding during rainy seasons and become a source of water during dry season.
After constructing the water retention reservoirs, the cities and municipalities could practically invest in developing water treatment plants and distribution systems to provide clean water for domestic and industrial use. Investing in water treatment plants also helps solve the issue of waste-water pollution.
Disaster Resilience and Flood Protection. Building resilient communities is one of the most critical aspects of economic development, sustainability, and livability.
Pampanga, being exposed to numerous natural hazards, should have the propensity to address these potential risks, especially flooding, for it to better protect its industries and economic interests, as well as the health, well-being and quality of life of Kapampangans.
Agro-Industrial Development Zones. To further enhance the province’s agro-industrial sector, the Pampanga Megalopolis plan also proposes areas of agro-industrial estates, complemented with operational farm-to-market roads and sound and efficient post-harvest facilities.
Another important component of the Pampanga Megalopolis is the Pampanga Golden Triangle, an imperative channel to jumpstart the proposed projects and developments under the plan.
Bounded by major thoroughfares such as SCTEX, NLEX, MacArthur Highway, and Jose Abad Santos Ave. (JASA), the Pampanga Golden Triangle is a composite convergence of three cities -Angeles, San Fernando, and Mabalacat, and six municipalities -- Porac, Floridablanca, Lubao, Guagua, Santa Rita, and Bacolor.
With Angeles and San Fernando cities being Pampanga’s main urban centers and with their relatively lower susceptibility to natural hazards, the Pampanga Golden Triangle signifies high development potential and could very well be the jump-off point for the larger context of the province.
With the main goal of revitalizing urbanized areas, the objectives of the Pampanga Megalopolis Plan also include organizing the current land uses, identifying new road connections and road improvement, and creating buffer zones along hazard-prone areas.
These, in turn, could serve as guidelines for future developments within the Pampanga Golden Triangle.
In her acceptance speech, Pineda emphasized that she is not only receiving the plan document, but more importantly, she is accepting the responsibility of seeing to it that the plan is implemented to the fullest benefit of the present and future generations of Kapampangans.
Pineda committed to create a Project Management and Investment Promotions Unit, under the Office of the Governor, to aggressively shepherd the implementation of the plan.
Meanwhile, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who closely guided the formulation of the Pampanga Megalopolis Plan, called on all Pampanga-loving Kabalens to single-mindedly support the plan.
She committed to be the foremost advocate and promoter of the Pampanga Megalopolis Plan both locally and internationally. (PNA)
