Clark squatters give way to historic park

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — Some 264 squatters in the 12-hectare Bayanihan Park here are expected to voluntarily dismantle their business establishments and residential shanties starting today to give way to a P50-million world class park.

The historic Bayanihan Park has served as the venue of anti-US rallies before the Americans left their former military base here.

A total of 165 affected business establishments and 99 residential shanties at the main gate of the former US base, now the Clark special economic zone, have been assured of assistance by the Clark Development Corp. (CDC), which administers the government-owned area.

The board of directors of the CDC has approved P20 million for the construction of the new stalls for the 165 business establishments and another P3.2 million for the relocation of 99 families, who have built residential structures in the area.

CDC vice president for operations Pepito Galang said that he has conducted no less than seven "consultation meetings" with the affected groups who have been staying at the Bayanihan Park for almost two decades now. "Those who built residential structures preferred to get cash assistance and all the measures we are adopting for them were done in consultation with the Presidential Commission on Urban Poor," he stressed.

Angeles City councilor Jay Sangil lauded the residents for volunteering to give way to the park project. "I hope that no one will again exploit them and derail the project by agitating them against it. The project has been long awaited by the people of Angeles who have no real park to speak of," he added. — Ding Cervantes