Wednesday, November 14, 2007 Bases agency to pay farmers in Clark freeport By Reynaldo G. Navales
CLARK FREEPORT -- The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has vowed to compensate farmers inside the freeport who will be affected by the extension of Panday Pira Avenue here.
This was learned from Anna de Guzman, information officer of BCDA, during a session at the Mabalacat Municipal Council last week.
De Guzman said the project, a part of Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), is a connecting road of the freeport and the Clark North Interchange.
Eriberto Carriedo, chairperson of the Samanaka farmers, said four farmers will be affected by the project. The four farmers maintain farm lots with fruit-bearing trees and crops.
Meanwhile, another five farmers at the “drop zone” area inside the Clark freeport are expected to be affected by a sub-station project which will be handled by the National Transmission Corporation (Transco).
The sub-station will be built inside a 4.3 hectare land adjacent to the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) land mark here.
Celedonio Varlez, an official of Transco, disclosed that the construction will commence in January next year.
The Clark Development Corporation (CDC) will be in charge in the compensation of farmers who will be affected by the Transco project.
The sub-station project is part of the agreement of Texas Instrument and the CDC to have sufficient and efficient supply of electricity.
Town officials of Mabalacat are now urging CDC officials headed by president Levy Laus to include the local agriculture officers in the valuation board.
Mabalacat Vice Mayor Prospero Lagman said the local agriculturists of the town were included in the composite team of the BCDA that handled the compensation of the farmers affected by the SCTEx project.
