It’s on for Clark SEAG venues

MANILA, Philippines — Work has started in constructing the sports facilities in a 40-hectare spread of the New Clark City and Nikko David, president of project builder MTD, said yesterday he expects the track oval and aquatics center to be ready for testing in July next year.

David said of the 9,500-hectare New Clark City, 200 hectares were allocated for a National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) of which 60 hectares will be set aside for Phase 1 in a construction timetable. Phase 1 involves the building of sports facilities on 40 hectares and government offices with residential housing on 20 hectares. The expanse of the New Clark City will cross over to parts of Capas and Bamban in Tarlac and parts of Pampanga, including Mabalacat and Angeles City.

The total project cost for the NGAC is P12.695 Billion, including P5 Billion for a 20,000-seat Athletics Stadium, track oval and a 2,000-seat aquatics center. Also to rise are a four-building Athletes Village with over 550 rooms to accommodate more than 1,000 persons and a five-building government residential housing to take in another 1,000 persons in 500 rooms. The government housing will feature condo-type living with one, two and three-bedroom units. About 15 sports will be held in Clark during the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games on Nov. 30-Dec. 9 next year.

“We’ll be using the rooms in the Athletes Village and the government residential housing for both the SEA Games and the ASEAN Para Games which will be sometime in January 2020,” said David. “Priority of usage will be the athletes but we should also be able to accommodate team officials and coaches.”

Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) executive director Tats Suzara said in the Clark main zone, he plans to mobilize 11 “mansions” of the Fontana complex for each SEA Games member nation. Each mansion has multiple bedrooms and office space for a delegation to employ as a nerve center. Additionally, the Marriott Hotel will be inaugurated in the main zone by the end of this year and the Hilton Hotel within the second quarter of next year to take in VIPs.

Suzara estimated the participation of 5,000 athletes in the SEA Games which will stage events in Clark, Metro Manila and Subic.

David said the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is now in the process of constructing the main and access roads of the New Clark City, including a connection to the Expressway and the Clark main zone. MTD, for its part, is building the internal roads, including a four-lane way with sidewalks and bike lanes. The main road will be completed by July next year.