Capas eyed as ‘next big thing’
CAPAS, Tarlac – Capas town in Tarlac will be the “next big thing.”
This was disclosed by Mayor Reynaldo Catacutan, after the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) recently confirmed Capas as one of the major hosts to the South East Asian (SEA) Games 2019.
The PSC, in partnership with the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), are to construct in more than 50-hectares a so-called “Sports City” with world-class sports facilities to be made available for 2019 and highly prioritized in Duterte Administration.
Capas town holds approximately 9,000 hectares of the 9,450 hectare-Bases BCDA's most ambitious project, the New Clark City, under President Duterte’s “Build! Build! Build!” program.
“As a municipality which had only been known for the infamous Death March during the World War II, and a tourist destination or gateway to Mt. Pinatubo, Capas is not only moving towards possessing 95 percent of the envisioned smart metropolis. Hence, we are heading towards a greater challenge of cityhood and corresponding security measures,” said Catacutan.
In preparation for this, the municipality has targeted holistic programs such as the creation of a peace and order safety management office, a 24/7 command center operated by a quick-response team, new 4x4 ambulances, the construction of additional quality hospital buildings and the town’s maximum efforts to eradicate crime and illegal drugs.
“In a short period of time, and in complete facilities acquired through donations and LGU initiative, we were able to safely reform 528 drug victims at Capas Bahay Pagbabago (CBP), all of them with TESDA certificates, reunited with their families, skilled and employment-ready,” CBP Administrator Edgar Guevarra said.
In addition, 423 reformists also graduated from the six-month community service program of the Municipal Anti-Drug Abuse Council (MADAC) through its barangay counterpart, the BADACs, this September 7, 2017 at the Capas Municipal Covered Court.
In an informal announcement, The Department of Interior and Local Government has acknowledged Capas as the model LGU for drug reformation and CBP as the best reformatory center surpassing the Mega Drug Rehab Center in Nueva Ecija which had accommodated less than 500 individuals out of its 10,000 capacity.
“We are not only aiming to be a drug-free municipality. We want to make sure that our citizens, tourists and investors are safe in all aspects: smart, green, accessible, disaster-resilient. In addition to that, Capas as a whole is a safe place for education, business, and local to international events,” Catacutan said. (Chris Navarro)