The vital infrastructure developments inside the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone boosted Central Luzon’s gross domestic product (GDP) which grew 9.3 percent in 2017, or three percent higher than the country’s GDP of 6.7 percent during the same year.

Jess Nicdao, president of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. attributed the growth to the high-impact projects under the Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build Infrastructure Program, like the New Clark City, the Clark International Airport (CIA), the Manila-Clark Railway, and the Subic-Clark Railway.

Nicdao said, “I commend the Duterte administration for making Clark a part of the country’s economic strategy as the region has been experiencing an influx of new businesses and investments for the past five years.”

The 9,450-hectare New Clark City will be the country’s first smart, disaster-resilient, and sustainable city, with mixed use of residential, commercial, agro-industrial, educational institutions, and information technology developments.

The railway projects in the pipeline and the ongoing construction of access roads inside the city are also expected to provide interconnectivity and better logistics throughout the region.

Nicdao also noted the considerable potential of CIA as a major gateway with the passenger capacity expected to increase to eight million annually after the completion of a new terminal building.

“Passengers coming from north of Metro Manila are using the airport as it is more convenient compared to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport,” Nicdao said.

Meanwhile, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the Build, Build, Build program is gaining ground as the Philippine economy expanded by 6.8 percent in the first quarter of 2018.

“It is at par with market expectations and close to the low-end of our full-year growth target of 7.0 to 8.0 percent for 2018,” Pernia said.

He said the country had a steady growth streak over the past couple of years, with 6.9 percent GDP growth for full-year 2016 and recorded a 6.7 percent expansion in 2017.

“Real GDP growth could have been well within our growth range target of seven to eight percent,” Pernia added.

Pernia said that he Build Build Build program would continue its momentum in providing more economic opportunities for Filipinos in terms of job generation, massive investments, and faster delivery of public services.

“Our country’s growth implies that we have the potential to become an upper middle-income economy, even as early as next year,” he added.

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