PRESIDENT Rodrigo Roa Duterte pitched for the development of other cities outside the capital region, because Manila will likely be a “dead city” in 25 years.
In a speech during a food festival in Pampanga last Thursday, as reported by Dateline Philippines last December 7, President Duterte emphasized the importance of developing industrial cities as he pointed out that Metro Manila would no longer be a viable destination for investment.
With Manila’s apparent hopeless situation, Duterte said the only way to fix the area is to completely overhaul it.
“Manila, I think will be, in about 25 years, a dead city. It will start to decay and there is no way that we can rehab the place,” Duterte said. “You have to disperse the crowd, limit the factories at some time in the future but not really [now] for that would be too early. About 10 years from now, they should close Manila and start to develop [other areas].”
But to do this, Duterte made note that the country’s mass transportation system would first need to be improved.
“So Manila is no longer an option for industries. They have to go to the provinces. But the most important thing is there has to be a transport, whether mass or if there are too many cars, then you have to expand the highways,” Duterte said.
Under its ambitious “Build, Build, Build” program, the Philippine government is rolling out P8 trillion-worth of road networks and other infrastructures to enhance the mobility in different parts of the country.
Some of these projects include the Mega Manila Subway, the Mindanao Railway Project, Malolos-Clark Railway Project, the LRT-1 North Extension Project, and the expansion of the Clark International Airport.
In support of President Duterte’s call for decentralization, Senator Grace Poe warned that Metro Manila “may have no future if we do not act now.”
“We should seriously consider and push for outward development to decongest Metro Manila for the medium to long term but right now we have to jumpstart that initiative,” Poe said in a statement the following Friday, December 8, 2017.
Poe also expressed optimism that the Duterte government’s “Build, Build, Build” program would contribute to easing the traffic situation in the capital region.
“Perhaps with the ‘Build, Build, Build’ projects of President Duterte like the Mega Manila subway, the completion of NLEX, SLEX, etc., we can see a marked improvement in the near future,” Poe said.
In the same speech, President Duterte also stressed the need to “improve the manufacturing side” of the agricultural sector to propel the country’s economic growth. He noted, however, that a lasting development must come alongside with peace.
“We have to improve the manufacturing site of the agricultural sector. That is the only way we can improve things. But we have to have law or peace there,” Duterte said.
Then, he took a swipe at the communist rebels for allegedly collecting revolutionary taxes in agricultural areas.
With the country’s agricultural sector “lagging behind, almost to a fault,” Duterte also pointed out that the only way to boost it is by providing more lands to peasants.
He assured that he will continue to push for the government’s agrarian reform program and would not break his campaign promise of helping the landless tillers.
In conclusion, President Duterte said, “The only way to improve it really is to give more lands, if you can afford it. I am for land reform. I am for… isa ‘yan sa mga sinabi ko sa kampanya (it’s one of my campaign promises) and I will not renege on it.”
***
Incidentally, Congress has approved President Duterte’s request for extension of Martial Law in Mindanao until the end of 2018.
Just before this happened, the President voiced his feelings about his job during a Christmas Party for Malacañang reporters. He told them that “it gets to be lonelier and lonelier every day in this job. It gets to be scary to make final decisions, and that he had to make choices that will make people happy or sad.”
***
Quote of the Day: “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”, or, in our national language, “Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon”!
In a speech during a food festival in Pampanga last Thursday, as reported by Dateline Philippines last December 7, President Duterte emphasized the importance of developing industrial cities as he pointed out that Metro Manila would no longer be a viable destination for investment.
With Manila’s apparent hopeless situation, Duterte said the only way to fix the area is to completely overhaul it.
“Manila, I think will be, in about 25 years, a dead city. It will start to decay and there is no way that we can rehab the place,” Duterte said. “You have to disperse the crowd, limit the factories at some time in the future but not really [now] for that would be too early. About 10 years from now, they should close Manila and start to develop [other areas].”
But to do this, Duterte made note that the country’s mass transportation system would first need to be improved.
“So Manila is no longer an option for industries. They have to go to the provinces. But the most important thing is there has to be a transport, whether mass or if there are too many cars, then you have to expand the highways,” Duterte said.
Under its ambitious “Build, Build, Build” program, the Philippine government is rolling out P8 trillion-worth of road networks and other infrastructures to enhance the mobility in different parts of the country.
Some of these projects include the Mega Manila Subway, the Mindanao Railway Project, Malolos-Clark Railway Project, the LRT-1 North Extension Project, and the expansion of the Clark International Airport.
In support of President Duterte’s call for decentralization, Senator Grace Poe warned that Metro Manila “may have no future if we do not act now.”
“We should seriously consider and push for outward development to decongest Metro Manila for the medium to long term but right now we have to jumpstart that initiative,” Poe said in a statement the following Friday, December 8, 2017.
Poe also expressed optimism that the Duterte government’s “Build, Build, Build” program would contribute to easing the traffic situation in the capital region.
“Perhaps with the ‘Build, Build, Build’ projects of President Duterte like the Mega Manila subway, the completion of NLEX, SLEX, etc., we can see a marked improvement in the near future,” Poe said.
In the same speech, President Duterte also stressed the need to “improve the manufacturing side” of the agricultural sector to propel the country’s economic growth. He noted, however, that a lasting development must come alongside with peace.
“We have to improve the manufacturing site of the agricultural sector. That is the only way we can improve things. But we have to have law or peace there,” Duterte said.
Then, he took a swipe at the communist rebels for allegedly collecting revolutionary taxes in agricultural areas.
With the country’s agricultural sector “lagging behind, almost to a fault,” Duterte also pointed out that the only way to boost it is by providing more lands to peasants.
He assured that he will continue to push for the government’s agrarian reform program and would not break his campaign promise of helping the landless tillers.
In conclusion, President Duterte said, “The only way to improve it really is to give more lands, if you can afford it. I am for land reform. I am for… isa ‘yan sa mga sinabi ko sa kampanya (it’s one of my campaign promises) and I will not renege on it.”
***
Incidentally, Congress has approved President Duterte’s request for extension of Martial Law in Mindanao until the end of 2018.
Just before this happened, the President voiced his feelings about his job during a Christmas Party for Malacañang reporters. He told them that “it gets to be lonelier and lonelier every day in this job. It gets to be scary to make final decisions, and that he had to make choices that will make people happy or sad.”
***
Quote of the Day: “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”, or, in our national language, “Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon”!
No comments:
Post a Comment