An initial 10,000 units under the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program will be built in Clark, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President and Chief Executive Officer Joshua Bingcang said.

“We are about to finalize a deal with Department of [Human Settlements and Urban Development] (DHSUD) under Secretary (Jose Rizalino) Acuzar and a big local developer to build the first 10,000 units of housing,” Bingcang said in a recent interview.

The 10,000 units under the 4PH Program are being eyed to be built in a 100-hectare land inside the New Clark City, a flagship development of the BCDA in Bamban, Tarlac.

“So, we’ll make sure the design, the amenities, the facilities are at par with what we would like,” he added.

The 9,450-hectare New Clark City is aimed to be the country’s first smart and green city. Aside from office spaces, the project will also include industrial and tourism development, among others, to create new economic opportunities outside Metro Manila.

Road networks connecting New Clark City and the Clark Freeport zone are also underway to shorten travel time between the BCDA’s two properties.

Bingcang added that they are working with Congress to make the land for the 4PH Program from a leasehold to a freehold arrangement. This will enable the 4PH beneficiaries to own the land instead of only having the right to occupy the land for a given number of years.

For the entire Clark property, the BCDA is allocating 5 percent, or around 1,500 hectares, for residential development.

“It’s like six times already of BGC (Bonifacio Global City) but it’s like spread across… Of course, we want to balance the development. We want to create a compact neighborhood where there’s residential, there’s commercial. There’s the place of communities like church, school,” the BCDA chief said, adding that the residential development in Clark would be “socially inclusive” that “even minimum wage earners can afford.”

“That’s one of the biggest lessons that we’ve learned in BGC. It’s so expensive to own a unit there. But in Clark, we want to make sure as BCDA, which is part of the development and being a government entity, we’ll make sure we address the economic requirements,” he added.

Bingcang said around 138,000 workers in Clark are living outside the freeport zone. (PNA)