BusinessMirror
Wednesday' fune 19, 2019
GMAto hdp PamPanga
megalopotis' after Politics
N. otre Cnuz
Bv |ovru MenIe
9 qloveemarie
f1 HE will retire from Politics
\ Urra former President and
tJ to* SPeaker Gloria Maca-
pagal-ArroYo vowed on TuesdaY
to help her home Province of Pam-
p"rrg"by fo.using on the develoP-
ment of what she envisions as
"megalopolis."
'
In an interview following the un-
veiling of the image of Transfigura-
tion o? Jesus Christ at the Eternal
Gardens CabuYao CitY, ArroYo said
she wants PamPanga to become a
business hub and financial district
of Central Luzon.
Arroyo also admitted that
was askedbY the Province to become
its consultant.
"They asked me to helP them
from time to tir-re, to be a consul-
tant. So, t'd be'ihaPPY to do that'
sinabiko [Then I saidl where I
Tapos
thinkl canhelp is to followthrough
on the imPlementation of [the]
Pampanga MegaloPolis Plan," she
added.
According to ArroYo, the Pam-
GMA...
CoNTTNUED FRoM A1
I Ecopolis (ecology-driven cluster or
centerfor envi ron inqntaltourism: Arayat,
Candaba, Floridablanca and Porac).
Arroyo said each area has its own
potential to attract local and foreign in-
vestors.
difference we-have inPqprpanga
.,,.The
is that we have the different economies
i$;we'lltryto see what's needed in
to develop the areaj'she said.
She said the construction of a cir-
cumferential road is now in a blueprint
" ayondr pyga "
panga MegaloPolis Plan aims to ad-
ir"i .ottg"ttion in Metro Maniia'
She said the 'vision for PamPan-
g#'isfor it to be a "counter-magnet
ior Metro Manila because it is al-
ready so congested'''
Tire plan seeks to address major
issues and challenges, as well as op-
timize thb potential of Pampanga as
an urban growth center'
a
ArroYo, citing noted architect
Jun Palafox, said the PamPanga
megaloPolis will be comPosed of
various metroPolitan areas'
The PamPanga megaloPolis is
clustered into four:
I
The AgroPolis (agriculture--
driven cluster or center for food:
she Lubao, Guagua, Santa Rita, Bacolor'
San Luis, San Simon, APalit, Santo
Tomas, Santa Ana and Magalang);
I AquaPolis (water-drive cluster
or center ior waterfront develoP-
ment: Sasmuan, Macabdbe, Mina-
f.in, Ivlasantol and Lubao);
t AelotroPolis (airPort-driven
cluster or center forbusiness andlo-
gistics: Angeles CitY, San Fernando
"Clty,
U^U"t.cat and Mexico); and
"GMA," A2
sEE
to interconnect all the cities, as well as
municipalities in PamPangaa.
"The businessmen want to have a
circumferential road in order to better
improve the ease ofdoing business. Acr
tually, there are already segments and
Palafox identified where the gaps are.
5o, l'm going to have a meeting with
four con!ressmen although in principle
they've al readli agreed, on what they will
propose to the DPWH [for funding next
yearl," she said, in a mix of English and
order Fitipino.
Arroyo, an economist, vowed to be
the promoter of Pampanga Megalopolis
Plan internationallY.