Bulacan Airport Complex: The Green City of the Future

San Miguel Corporation’s (SMC) Bulacan airport complex has broken ground, and it is set to pave the way for more green cities. The vision for the project is both sustainable and egalitarian, addressing social and environmental issues that currently plague even the country’s major financial areas.

This is according to Felino “Jun” Palafox Jr., the country’s leading urban planner and green architect. Palafox detailed some of the primary elements he and SMC president Ramon S. Ang expect for the much-anticipated project.

The blueprint is green

When trying to compare the Bulacan airport complex to environmentally friendly advances in Dubai and other regions of the world, Palafox said it will incorporate the best practices in green, sustainable, and disaster-resilient infrastructure. The famed architect has championed and implemented these principles in over 1,700 projects in 45 countries.

The new venture, according to Palafox, will take use of SMC president Ramon S. Ang’s foresight and bias for action in order to complete projects at no expense to the government.

“I’m aligned with the mission, vision and goal of Ramon Ang. He invited me to partner with him in this new undertaking: a green aerotropolis. At Palafox, we’ve analyzed that we need at least 100 new cities all over the Philippinex by 2050. If we don’t do it, our cities will become as bad, if not worse than Metro Manila. We envision the Bulacan Aerocity development as the first model and pacesetter for future green and sustainable cities in the country,” said Palafox.

READ: [Marikina: Trailblazing Smart and Safe Cities]

Ang, for one, stated that the project will be a lasting project for not only him and Palafox, but for future generations of Filipinos as well.

“I want to emphasize to our countrymen that what we are building is more than just an international gateway with four runways, with an infrastructure network to connect it directly to Metro Manila and many other points in Luzon. The airport is just one component– what we’re building is the Philippines’ first truly green city of the future,” Ang said.

Enhancing the environment

Apart from creating jobs, one of the most significant goals of the Bulacan airport complex is to improve the environment. And we’re not just talking about in and around the airport, but across the province.

“From the very beginning, I promised Bulakenyos and all our stakeholders in government that the airport project and the aerocity development will have significant benefits for the province and the whole country. We will make sure to do everything right, because this is our biggest investment to date, and our legacy to the next generations,” Ang said.

“Specifically, we will clean up the environment, clear the river systems to enable water to flow freely again and address flooding; we will establish mangrove forests, with some 190,000 mangroves all over Bulacan and neighboring provinces to enhance biodiversity and help mitigate tidal flooding. We’re also looking to develop and enhance natural habitats of marine and bird species. There’s so much more we can do,” he added.

Exciting times ahead. With the Bulacan airport complex leading the way, the future’s looking green for Philippine infrastructure!