Tutuban mall soon to rise in Mabalacat

MABALACAT — The 168 retail store, which is popular in Tutuban, Manila, will rise in Barangay Mabiga here.
Mayor Marino Morales said the project is part of the P500-million stimulus package that will provide development of major public infrastructure in the town.
The retail store is expected to attract vendors from Central Luzon and Northern Luzon and will make Mabalacat town as the center of commercial activities in Pampanga, the mayor said.
He also bared plans to build a new bus terminal near the modern 168 building to allow consumers easy access to transportation.
Projects included in the P500-million loan package that will be sourced from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) or the Land Bank of the Philippines are the three-storey 168 retail stores building, new Mabalacat Bus Terminal, five-storey Mabalacat Public Market, Triple A slaughterhouse, additional classrooms for public learning institutions, and lighting and beautification of the town.
Morales said the local government and the private and business sectors are supportive of the projects that will transform Mabalacat into a key economic player in Pampanga and in the entire country.
The town of Mabalacat, which is eyeing cityhood by 2013, covers Clark Freeport and the Clark International Airport.
“Only Mabalacat has an international airport, a Freeport, and it is linked to the modern SCTEx,” said Morales.
Morales said the 168 retail stores will be located in a 2,000-hectare area of Barangay Mabiga that is directly linked to the SCTEx and the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).
“We are putting the new Mabalacat Bus Terminal in Barangay Mabiga to complement the development in the area,” said Morales.
“The establishment of 168 stores in Mabalacat will allow vendors to cut travel time and save more money,” he added.
Published in the Sun.Star Pampanga newspaper on January 20, 2012.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2012/01/19/tutuban-mall-soon-rise-mabalacat-201475