Construction of SEA Games Facilities Uninterrupted by Storm

Typhoon Ompong failed to hold back the ongoing projects within Clark, including the building of sports facilities for the next 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President and Chief Executive Officer Vivencio Dizon said.

In a press conference during the Philippine Economic Briefing Tuesday, Dizon said the recent typhoon only brought “very minimal damages” in the area.

Soon to rise within Clark is the administration’s pet infrastructure project, the 9,450-hectare New Clark City, which is intended to be the country’s next metropolis that will help to decongest Metro Manila.

Inside the New Clark City, construction of sports facilities for the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games is ongoing.

Dizon told the Philippine News Agency that despite weather disturbances experienced in Luzon in the past months, the developer of the SEA Games facilities is set to deliver the project on time.

“I think we’re 30 percent [complete] now for the SEA Games [facilities],” the BCDA chief said.

Malaysian firm MTD Capital Berhad is the BCDA’s partner for the construction of the SEA Games facilities inside the New Clark City.

Dizon mentioned that the sports facilities are expected to be completed by August next year.

These facilities include a stadium, an aquatic center, and two towers of athletic dormitories to accommodate SEA Games participants.

The SEA Games facilities are also part of the Phase 1 of the National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) at the New Clark City.

Government offices will also rise in the Phase 1 of the NGAC.

Moreover, Dizon stressed the need to develop more resilient cities as the country experiences an average of 20 typhoons annually.

“I think with the increasing risk associated with the climate change, the government and our country really need to start thinking about building more resilient cities where people can work and live in,” he said.

“The typhoons in the past couple of years have made us suffer from our vulnerability in these changes in our climate. It really leads us to the fact that in planning and developing these new areas, resiliency must be a top most priority,” he stressed. (PNA)