Tourism zone to rise from Tarlac wasteland

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will develop some 640 hectares of idle land which is directly connected to the SubicClark-Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP).

Armand C. Arreza, SBMA Administrator said, "The project will surely change the panorama of the entire Freeport zone."

The planned "Gateway District" will have a 20,000-sq. meter convention center, a 500-room hotel, condominium, shopping mall and golf course which will all be constructed at the main entrance of the Freeport zone linking to the STCEP.

As part of the project, Korea’s Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC) will put up a condominium with commercial area while Taiwan’s TECO electronic firm will be setting a software training center and manufacturing plant for contact imaging system, television LCD and telecommunication equipment.

The 500-hectare rolling terrain along Mt. Rita would be the site of the new Subic Freeport golf course, which had already attracted three Korean investors to finance, develop and operate the project.

Another 100-hectare of land near the Subic-Tipo is being eyed by Taiwanese investors to put up an industrial park that will be patterned after the Nankang Software Park in Taiwan where a cluster of about 40 electronic manufacturing firms would be constructing a plant.

SBMA will itself fund the R1 billion modern convention center to be able to host both local and international conferences, Arreza noting "that based on the forecast fiscal performance, SBMA could generate enough finds needed to build the convention center."

Arreza said that when the plan of SBMA to construct a convention center was presented to prospective investors, real estate developers and even top executives of the SM and Robinson mall chains, they had expressed interest in setting up shop at the Subic Gateway District.

"Subic Freeport is now having a very exciting tune with the plan of the administration to develop super regions in the country. We are sure that Subic will play a major role in the development of the Metro Luzon Urban Beltway," said Arreza. (Lynda B. Valencia)