NEWS

By Bernadette Nicolas

PRESIDENT Duterte has signed an executive order mandating the inclusion of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) in the Infrastructure Cluster given its significant role in the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program.

Under the Executive Order (EO) 86 signed by the president on July 25, the BCDA will be represented by its president in the cluster.

“The mandate of the BCDA in the conversion of the Clark and Subic military reservations and their extensions into alternative productive uses, its vital public infrastructure projects such as tollway, railway, airport, seaport, and new economic growth corridor, and its role in the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program, warrant its inclusion as a member of the Infrastructure Cluster,” the EO read.

The new EO amended EO 24. s. 2017, which created the Infrastructure Cluster tasked to focus on infrastructure development.

The BCDA, which is under the direct control and supervision of the Office of the President for purposes of policy direction and coordination, is mandated under its charter to adopt, prepare and implement a comprehensive and detailed development plan for the conversion of the Clark and Subic military reservations into productive uses.

Chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Infrastructure Cluster includes the Executive Secretary, the Cabinet Secretary, head of the Presidential Management Staff, as well as the secretaries of different departments.

The Departments of the Interior and Local Government, Budget and Management, Transportation, Finance, Information and Communications Technology, Trade and Industry, Agriculture, Health, Social Welfare and Development, Education, and of Tourism, and the National Economic and Development Authority are also part of the cluster.

The order shall take effect immediately upon its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.

Source: Business Mirror