Duterte warns Metro Manila dead in 25 years, calls for dispersed dev’t

CLARK, Pampanga — President Rodrigo Duterte pitched for the development of more cities in the Philippines, saying Metro Manila will be a dead city in 25 years.

Duterte at the first Kapampangan Food Festival hailed Clark's growth and hoped other areas in the country could replicate its achievement.

"Clark is a very important destination now in the Philippines. For want of space, kung may magpunta doon sa amin, easily I would say, 'Go to Clark'," Duterte said.

"And you have all the amenities of what a kind of a site you’ll have in flat lands and the resources are also there," he added.

Duterte said that the industries should be dispersed away from Manila and to the provinces.

"Manila I think will be in about 25 years, will be a dead city. It will start to decay and there is no way that we can rehab the place," he added.

"You have to disperse the crowd, limit the factories at some time in the future but not really mine for that would be too early. But about 10 years from now, they should close Manila and start to develop ito.  Ito ang pinakamaganda ngayon eh," Duterte said.

"And this will be able to come with something very similar to Clark. In other places, maybe Batangas or Cavite, mahihirapan tayo. So Manila is no longer an option for industries. We have to go to the provinces," he added.

But to do this, he said that the mass transportation system should be improved.

"But I think the most practical thing to do is really the mass transport system. And many are willing. It’s only a matter of the grid. Kaya sabi ko kay nandito rin sila Senator [Tito] Sotto. You have to simplify more ‘yung sa ano," Duterte said.

Duterte and his party PDP-Laban are advocates of dispersing authority and development across the country through federalism.   —NB, GMA News