Pampanga

[Pampanga]

BCDA okays 2 'mega' projects
By Mary Ann Ll Reyes
November 07, 2012

1. Green city at the 36,000-hectare portion of the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga will cost around P200 billion.

2. The new P26 billion Elevated Monorail to address the traffic problems in the central business districts (CBDs) of Makati, Bonifacio Global City and Villamor Newport City up to NAIA III, and the Clark Green City – practically a new city half the size of Metro Manila to rise in Clark.

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[Pampanga]

Road Rehabilitation, San Fernando-Bacolor boundary

[Pampanga]

Drainage Installation

[Pampanga]

New Christmas Decorations & Palm Trees

[Pampanga]

New JASA Footbridge, Under Construction

[Pampanga]

Under Construction Buildings along JASA


Near CGIC bldg. & SnR

Near Toyota showroom

Near Northwalk II


JASA corner Mc Arthur Hway

[Pampanga]

22 Filipinos compete in World Cable Wakeboard Championships in Pampanga
InterAKTV · Tuesday, November 6, 2012


Kuno Ritschard (second from left), president of International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation, discusses the mechanics of the Cable Wakeboard Worlds 2012 during Monday’s press launch of the event Deca Wakeboard Park in Clark in Angeles, Pampanga. Also in photo are (from left) JJ Atencio, president of Deca Homes, Varna Laco, IWWF Council chairman, and JV Borromeo, president of Waterski and Wakeboard Association of the Philippines.

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[Pampanga]

Marquee Residences (Angeles City, Pampanga)

• Video Link

[Pampanga]

Wakeboard Worlds 2012

[Pampanga]

Clark Special Economic Zone

[Pampanga]

JASA Road widening in front of SM City Pampanga

[Pampanga]

Clearwater Lake Clark

[Pampanga]

P40M up for green projects
By Jovi T. De Leon
Friday, November 9, 2012

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The City Government allocated some P40 million for “green” projects, as it prioritizes environmental management in 2013.

Councilor Alex Patio, during the City Council caucus on Wednesday, said the budget has been allocated for environmental management representing 47.16 percent of the city’s Local Development Fund (LDF).

The fund covers flood control, comprehensive solid waste management, repair of the breached San Fernando-Sto. Tomas-Minalin tail dike, and the Sagip-Ilog initiative.

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[Pampanga]

Pampanga’s ‘parol’ goes global
By Tonette Orejas
Inquirer Central Luzon
1:44 am | Sunday, November 11th, 2012

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Ornamental Christmas lanterns in various shapes and sizes handcrafted in this Pampanga capital have gone global, having been shipped out to many Filipino communities abroad for the Christmas season.

The “Sampernandu parul” (as old folks still call the San Fernando lanterns) has brought its warm glow of lights overseas “to strengthen our Christmas tradition,” according to Mayor Oscar Rodriguez.

“For foreigners to know our city for tourism purposes, to showcase our products, to help our parul makers in finding a market and to show the special skills and talent of our people,” Rodriguez said.

Honolulu fest

In December, Filipinos in Honolulu, Hawaii, are holding their first lantern festival.

According to San Fernando tourism officer Ching Pangilinan-Gonzales, the city government is shipping to Hawaii a giant lantern and bringing in craftsmen who will share the basics of lantern making.

The city government also sent out the first set of lanterns to the Philippine Embassy in Poland, she said.

Two giant lanterns will be displayed at the Cathedral of Good Shepherd in Singapore. The traditional beacons will also grace the Philippine embassies in Singapore, Moscow in Russia and Ottawa, Canada.

Pampanga’s pride embellished the Philippine embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2011 just as they did the new Philippine Embassy in Dublin, Ireland; the consulate in Beijing, China; and the Ethnology Museum in Vienna, Austria, in 2010.

Popular craftsmen

Pampanga lanterns also adorned various international exhibits, competitions or contracts undertaken by popular lantern makers like Roland Quiambao and Eric Quiwa.

Tourist attraction

The lanterns are a Hall of Fame titlist in the Department of Trade and Industry’s One-Town One-Product (OTOP) program.

The festival draws foreign and local dignitaries as well as tourists. In 2007, Nileema Noble, United Nations resident coordinator in the Philippines, said: “Magnificent! The efforts here to preserve heritage and tradition are flourishing.”

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[Pampanga]

Bizman: Local economy getting ‘healthier’
By Jovi T. De Leon
Sunday, November 11, 2012

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – A top official of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (PamCham) said the local economy is now getting healthier as projected.

PamCham vice chairman Rene Romero, now co-chairman [representing the private sector] of the Regional Competitiveness Council, said the advent of the 2013 elections, the country’s earning recently positive ratings in competitiveness and the re-election of US President Barack Obama are contributing to the rebound of the local economy and the boosting of the purchasing power of consumers like Kapampangans and Filipinos in general.

He said then that the economy will gain momentum at the onset of elections in October and could last until June next year when money remains in steady circulation.

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[Pampanga]

Flyover completed in San Fernando, Pampanga
By Manila Standard Today | Posted on Nov. 12, 2012 at 12:01am

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has completed the construction of the P373 million flyover bridge at the intersection of the Lazatin and Jose Abad Santos Avenues in San Fernando City in Pampanga, officials said on Sunday.

Known as the Lazatin Flyover, the modular steel type bridge was composed of five spans on four piers with the superstructure materials supplied by the French company, Matiere S.A.S.

“The flyover increased the existing road capacity and will ease the traffic congestion along Lazatin Avenue and Jose Abad Santos Avenue,” a senior official said.

The bridge was built in anticipation of increased population and was expected to improve tourism, and the business climate in the area and nearby provinces.

The bridge has been formally opened to the motoring public by city officials led by Mayor Oscar Rodriguez and DPWH Undersecretary Rafael Yabut.

Source...

[Pampanga]

BCDA Builds New Clark Metropolis
By JAMES A. LOYOLA
November 14, 2012, 5:11pm

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority is planning to develop a new metropolis on over 30,000 hectares of land near Clark Freeport and intends to bid out the first phase of the development next year.

During the Asia Pacific Real Estate Investment Summit Philippines, BCDA president Arnel Casanova said the project will be built in phases over a span of 50 years.

Casanova said they are now bidding out the contract for the masterplanning of the property which will stretch from Porac, Pampanga to Capas, Tarlac.

He said the masterplan should be completed by the first quarter next year and then they will bid out the mixed-use development of about 100 to 200 hectares comprising the first phase of the project.

Casanova said the current Clark development covers only about 4,000 hectares of the 35,000 hectare property under the BCDA. This includes about 20,000 hectares in the Crow Valley.

He said the plan is to build a green and intelligent city minus the usual problems hounding Metro Manila. “It will have an ICT (information-communication technology) component so it will be a smart city,” Casanova said.

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Wow another mega metropolis near Metro manila

[Pampanga]

Sinukwan Festival 2012

[Pampanga]

Oca takes up growing cities’ aspirations at int’l forum
Nov 15, 2012

Mayor Oscar S. Rodriguez was in Vietnam recently to participate in a series of Cities Alliance meetings that looked into “development partnerships” for growing cities in developing countries.

Cities Alliance is a global partnership of multilateral institutions like United Nations-HABITAT and World Bank, national donor agencies, particularly Europe, and civil society organizations focus mainly on urban development issues.

Mayor Oca attended the October 30-November 2 meetings in Hanoi, Vietnam, in his capacity as president of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP).

The Executive Committee meeting and Annual Consultative Group meeting of Cities Alliance discussed ways through which development grants can empower cities to act on the needs of their constituents, as well as improve their overall quality of life.

Mayor Oca represented the Cities Alliance partnership between LCP, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC).

Being the only city mayor invited to the meetings, Mayor Oca brought a distinctly local government perspective to the meetings, balancing the perspectives expounded by international and national-level donor institutions.

“It is important to bring the voice of local governments to discussions such as these. Our development partners are well meaning, but we also have the responsibility to enhance the responsiveness of our partnerships.

I am glad that they are open to our contributions,” said Mayor Oca.

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[Pampanga]

Gordon bats for Clark airport as premier int’l gateway
By Joey Pavia
Nov 19, 2012

PRC Chairman Richard Gordon with City of San Fernando Councilor Jimmy Lazatin and Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo. Photo by Joey Pavia

CANDABA, Pampanga – Former Tourism Secretary and Senator Richard Gordon of Zambales joined calls for the full development of the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) as the country’s premiere airport.

This, even as he twitted the Aquino government for “losing steam” in developing it.

Gordon, who was interviewed over the weekend in a disaster preparedness seminar for village officials organized by Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo, said “it’s practical” to develop the CIA and its 2,367-hectare aviation complex due to its twin runways constructed by the United States military.

The runways can handle the largest commercial and military planes ever built.

Gordon, who is in the senatorial ticket of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), said Metro Manila will be decongested once the CIA becomes “another international airport.”

”I am even batting for Clark to be our premiere international airport,” stressed Gordon, citing the countries of South Korea, Hong Kong (under China), United States of America and Thailand which established their main international airports outside of crowded cities and metropolis.

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