New Clark City to host critical NBI facilities

MANILA, Philippines – State-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has earmarked a parcel of land in New Clark City for new National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) facilities, including a modern forensic hub.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag says the agency has requested about 100 hectares for the development in Tarlac, which will also house a regional office, a dedicated NBI Academy and other investigative facilities.

An initial P300-million budget has been allocated for the first phase of the project, with dormitories and other essential buildings among the priority components, Matibag says.

Once completed, the facilities are expected to support the NBI’s expanding operational requirements while reinforcing New Clark City’s role as a hub for government institutions and public services.

“The presence of the NBI adds another important dimension to that vision,” BCDA president and CEO Joshua Bingcang says. “It strengthens New Clark City’s role as a center for institutions that uphold public safety, justice and service to the Filipino people.”

“Established as a disaster-resilient backup government hub outside Metro Manila, New Clark City is steadily emerging as a center for government services, innovation, education, industry and institutional development,” the BCDA adds.

Bingcang and Matibag formalized the arrangement through a memorandum of understanding signed on June 15.

Matibag says substantial progress on the project could be seen within a year.

Plans to establish NBI facilities in New Clark City date back to 2020, when the agency, BCDA and MTD Clark Inc. signed a similar agreement covering the use of land within the development.

At the time, the NBI proposed putting up an international forensics facility, a biometrics and research center, a training academy, a regional office and a data center.

New Clark City forms part of the former US Clark Air Base and is managed by the BCDA, whose mandate is to convert former US military reservations into productive civilian assets.

Earlier this year, the BCDA also finalized an agreement with the Supreme Court for the use of a 10,000-square-meter site in Camp John Hay in Baguio City, where a new Hall of Justice is planned. INQ