Gov’t can use Clark Green City in case the ‘Big One’ strikes

THE CLARK Green City was deemed as a suitable “backup government center” in the event that a major calamity like an earthquake hits Metro Manila, the state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said Wednesday.

In a statement, BCDA said the 9,450-hectare metropolis set to rise within the Clark Freeport Zone is expected to be the first smart, disaster-resilient and green city in the Philippines, thus making it an ideal area where agencies can set up their backup offices.

The BCDA has already offered free lots inside the Clark Green City for government agencies to use in establishing backup offices to ensure uninterrupted delivery of services in the aftermath of major calamities.

The BCDA added the Clark Green City is around 100 kilometers away from the West Valley Fault Line and is surrounded by the typhoon-mitigating Zambales and Sierra Madre mountain ranges.

“Earthquakes are impossible to predict, but this proactive approach to have a backup government center will ensure the continued operations and delivery of vital services following the Big One [earthquake],” BCDA president and chief executive Arnel Paciano D. Casanova said.

“When the Big One strikes, delivery of government services and operations of businesses suffer the longest because you will have to face issues of health or personnel shortage, supply chain problems, public order, and a host of other challenges,” he added.

During the initial planning stages, the BCDA chief said greater attention was given to the disaster-resiliency feature of the Green City. Geohazard and flood maps were used to ensure that vital buildings and infrastructures will be situated in the least vulnerable areas.

Flooding in urban centers also results in a chain of disruptive events, foremost of which is traffic gridlock. This is why the Clark Green City will have a giant cistern, similar to the one used at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Beneath the BGC’s Burgos Circle is a five-story structure where floodwater is collected and later released towards Manila Bay.

“The Green City will be a showcase to the world as a model for uninterrupted commerce, trade and services in spite of our country being a calamity-prone area in the region,” Casanova said.