MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the creation of a “back-up government center” outside of Metro Manila in preparation for disasters and to attract investments in the countryside.
In his Executive Order No. 119 released Wednesday, Duterte tasked government agencies to set up satellite offices at an administrative center in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.
“The current seat of the national government in Metro Manila is vulnerable to gradual or sudden ground sinking, rising sea levels and increased risk of floods. It is also exposed to the threat of a catastrophic earthquake that the West and East Valley Zones might spawn,” Duterte said.
“A government center outside the capital would serve as a back-up administrative hub and which may be used as a disaster recovery center, to ensure continuity of government services,” he added.
According to Duterte, the New Clark City government center will also address “the lack of sustainable employment opportunities in the countryside, unbalanced regional development, and unequal distribution of wealth” through the development of new townships and business districts.
Duterte, the first president from Mindanao, said before he would shift government power away from “Imperial Manila” in the run-up to the 2016 elections.
The country’s chief executive also called for a shift of the system of governance from unitary to federal saying this would spur countryside development./PN
