BCDA to expand PDS commercial strip in Taguig

MANILA, Philippines—BCDA Management and Holdings Inc. (BMHI), a wholly owned subsidiary of state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), plans to expand the Pamayanang Diego Silang (PDS) commercial strip along C-5 in Taguig City to generate additional livelihood opportunities for residents in the area.

In a statement issued Thursday, BMHI general manager Rafael Llave said that the government agency targets to build and lease out by 2014 some 50 commercial stalls in addition to the existing 64 stalls at the PDS commercial center. The project to put up these stalls will be bid out next year.

“The businesses that will be put up in the additional stalls will augur well [for] the 5,000 residents of PDS Housing Project as well as residents of nearby communities,” Llave said.

The 50 additional stalls, which will each measure 25 square meters, will be housed in a two-story building. Residents are encouraged to rent these stalls and put up their own businesses under BMHI’s livelihood program.

Businesses such as Internet cafes, food stalls, drugstores, laundry shops, dental clinics and payment centers now operate on the strip.

Meanwhile, BMHI is also planning to expand next year its one-story corporate center building to a three- to five-story establishment in a 3,000-square-meter area. The BMHI Corporate Center is currently located at the PDS commercial strip on C-5.

The expansion of the BMHI corporate building is expected to generate additional revenues for the agency through short- and long-term leases.