Solons want powers of SCAD expanded

Tuesday, 12 July 2011 01:52

Lawmakers have urged Congress to pass the proposed "Subic-Clark Development Act of 2011" seeking to expand the powers and capabilities of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council (SCADC).

Rep. Enrique Cojuangco (1st District, Tarlac), one of the authors of House Bill 4716, said the measure will develop the contiguous area in the corridor created by the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTex) and to supplement the two major ports of Central Luzon. "The bill will rationalize resources and harmonize strategies that will ensure an integrated and coordinated approach to the development of the SCAD corridor as a world-class mega-logistics hub and a global gateway to the Asia Pacific Region," Cojuangco said.

Cojuangco said the powers and functions of the SCAD as well as the Office of the SCAD Chairman must be clearly defined to enable it to effectively deal with its member-agencies to fulfill the vision of a world-class economic corridor.

Rep. Susan Yap (2nd District, Tarlac), another author of the bill, said SCAD has played an important role in harmonizing the policies and plans for Subic and Clark in a manner that is in accordance with internationally accepted principles and practices especially in relation to business practices and the enhancement of the capacity of the Subic port and Clark airport.

The government created the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council (SCADC) in 2006 through Executive Order 504 but was renamed in 2010 as the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development (SCAD) by Executive Order 876,

"The SCAD has been successful in harmonizing and automating the Immigration, Customs and Quarantine systems in Subic and Clark. Even the tourism planning for Subic, Clark and all the local government units (LGUs) within the economic corridor (Corridor) that was created by the construction of the SCTex has been undertaken by the SCAD. In fact, a tourism roadmap plan has already been drafted for the Corridor," Yap said.

Yap said the bill will be beneficial, not only to the areas of jurisdiction of the SCAD, but also in the Province of Tarlac which is contiguous to Clark and linked to Subic by the SCTex.

Under the bill, the SCAD Council in coordination with the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Clark Development Corporation (CDC) and Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC), the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB), the 17 concerned LGUs including the Municipalities of Mabalacat, Porac and Floridablanca shall formulate the Comprehensive Subic-Clark-Tarlac Development Program which will take into account the Subic-Clark Corridor Framework Plan, Central Luzon Land Use Plan and the land use plans of the LGUs.

The SCAD shall act as the institutional mechanism mandated to implement the Comprehensive Subic-Clark-Tarlac Development Program; formulate and harmonize programs, policies, laws, rules and regulations affecting business, investments and tourism in Subic-Clark and the Corridor connecting them and study the tourism potential of all the areas in the Corridor and recommend to the President the appropriate course of action in regard thereto.

The bill mandates the SCAD to evaluate the processes and systems which have undergone the study and approval of SCAD, formulate and adopt the processes and systems of international standards which can be applied to all the areas covered by the Corridor and define the scope and extent of the Corridor and the areas over which the Council shall exercise jurisdiction, through the conduct of extensive planning and/or master planning in consultation with the stakeholders, including the LGUs in the Corridor.

Furthermore, the SCAD shall formulate common plans and engage in activities geared towards the promotion of investments in the Corridor, as well as programs to strengthen the symbiotic relationship of the ports of Subic Bay and Clark International Airport and integrate the resources of Tarlac and the AFAB and review, identify and recommend priority infrastructure projects, in coordination with the Regional Development Council of Region III and Department of Tourism.

The funding requirement shall come from the allocation of the SBMA, BCDA, CDC, Northrail and CIAC in the amount of P10 million each as their yearly contribution.