t-
NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
*22 JUL 25 A10 *48
S.B.
SENATE
810
received 3Y;__
Introduced by SEN. WIN GATCHALIAN
AN ACT
TRANSFERRING THE PERMANENT SEAT OF THE NATIONAL 
GOVERNMENT TO NEW CLARK CITY, PAMPANGA, CREATING A 
TRANSITORY COMMISSION, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Metro Manila, the declared permanent seat of the Philippine government,1 has 
a daytime population of around 15 million2 people. It is also the most densely 
populated region in the Philippines with a population density of 21,765 persons per 
square kilometer in 2020,3 which is much higher than that of Mumbai, Paris, 
and Tokyo.4
Official figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) show the 
metropolis had 13.48 million5 residents as of May 2020, a figure that has been growing 
0.97 percent6 annually. This means that Metro Manila's population is projected to 
reach 14.52 million in 2025 using 2015 POPCEN data. Meanwhile, the population in 
the adjoining provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal in May 2020 had reached 
14.76 million - pegging Mega Manila's population at 28.24 million in May 2020 with 
projections of reaching 29.91 million in 2025. The PSA figures do not even include 
transients, workers from surrounding provinces and foreign and local tourists. We can
1 Presidential Decree No. 940, June 24, 1976
2 http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/manila-population/
3 
https://psa.gov.ph/content/highlights-population-density-philippines-2020-census-population-and-
housing-2020-cph
4 Ibid at 2.
5 https://psa.gov.ph/population-and-housing/node/166426
6 This is the average 5-year population growth rate for 2015 to 2020 using 2015 PSA data. Metro 
Manila's population is projected to grow on the average at 1.41% annually from 2021 to 2025
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thus surmise that more than 2 million people have been travelling every day in and 
out of Metro Manila.
In a study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 
2014, traffic volume In Metro Manila has already exceeded road capacities, thereby 
reducing travel speed of road users and increasing uncertainty as to distinctions and 
punctuality in transport operation. It stated that traffic demand is at 12.8 million trips 
in Metro Manila and 6 million in the adjoining provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and 
Cavite. While 69% of the total trips are done using the public transport, private 
transport takes up 78% of the road space. Accordingly, traffic congestion has been 
deterring the function and livability of Metro Manila. The same study also stated that 
the traffic congestion in the National Capital Region resulted in losses of at least Php 
2.4 billion a day and could reach Php 6 billion a day if not solved.7 In its Follow-up 
Survey in 2017, JICA estimated that the Philippines loses Php 3.5 billion daily due to 
traffic congestion, and it is projected to lose Php 5.4 billion daily to traffic by 2035 if 
no interventions are made in Metro Manila.8
For several years, the government has been trying to ease traffic congestion In 
Metro Manila by building more roads and bridges and implementing various traffic 
policies such as the number coding scheme, the restriction against provincial buses 
and the "driver-only" vehicles along Edsa. However, these efforts are not enough to 
manage the daily traffic of around 15 million people daily within Metro Manila.
With the increasing day population in the metropolis, we need to move the seat 
of government to a new place to relieve Metro Manila of its traffic and population 
congestion problems.
This proposed measure, to be known as Kabisera 2030, seeks to transfer the 
permanent seat of the government from Metro Manila to New Clark City. Moving the 
permanent seat of government is not something new, and has been done in several 
countries including the United States, South Korea, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and our 
neighbor Malaysia, which moved its administrative capital from Kuala Lumpur to the 
planned city of Putrajaya in 1999.9
In the case of the Philippines, the solution lies outside Metro Manila, which is 
in the New Clark City located in a Clark Special Economic Zone in Capas, Tarlac. It is 
a carefully master planned community that is strategically located in Central Luzon, 
patterned after the development of Putrajaya, and said to be the next big metropolis 
that can attract businessmen, workers and tourists away from Metro Manila. Beyond 
easing the congestion problems in Metro Manila, the transfer of the seat of 
government to New Clark City is expected to spread development to other parts of 
the country, generate jobs for the Filipinos, and help the economy achieve a 
sustainable growth. Its development was already part of the previous administration's
7https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/970553/jica-traffic-congestion-now-costs-p3-5-biIlion-a-day-metro-
maniIa-traffic-jica-cost-of-traffic#ixzz5tRp6Y5r)
8 https://cnnphilippines.eom/news/2018/09/19/JICA-study-traffic-5-billion.html
9https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-ll/jakarta-indonesia-planning-to-move-its-ca pita1/11090516


Build-Build-Build program, and was projected to contribute Php 1.57 trillion per year 
to the country's gross domestic product upon its completion.10 This 9,450-hectare 
development has already set aside 1,514 hectares for a National Government 
Administrative Center that will house government offices and its attached agencies. It 
will be the country's first smart, disaster-resilient and sustainable city that will have a 
mixed use of residential, commercial, agro-industrial, educational institutions and 
information technology developments.
New Clark City is very accessible from Metro Manila through the North Luzon 
Expressway and the railway projects that are in the pipeline. It is near the new Clark 
International Airport. Its neighboring cities already has the infrastructure to support 
the massive migration of people to Pampanga and Tarlac. The construction of access 
roads inside the city will also provide interconnectivity and better logistics throughout 
the region, which will be complemented by new toll roads in Metro Manila, the Metro 
Manila Subway, and other projects planned by the Department of Public Works and 
Highways and the private sector.11 In fact, there are several government offices, such 
as the Department of Transportation, Department of Science and Technology, and the 
Department of Public Works and Highways, that are planning to or has transferred
several of its offices to Clark Freeport Zone.12
On one hand, with the transfer of the government seat to New Clark City, we 
have to consider how it will affect the delivery of government services, especially given 
the travel time and relocation of the government employees of the affected 
government offices. Based on the Inventory of Government Human Resources by the 
Civil Service Commission, the total number of government personnel in the Executive 
branch in the National Capital Region is 445,452 as of August 31, 2021, composed of 
333,974 career service professionals, 37,568 non-career personnel and 73,910 
personnel with job orders or contracts of service. This bill also seeks to provide the 
framework to address the transition in the continuous delivery of government services 
to the public, including the provision of benefits such as subsidized or low-cost housing 
for families of government employees who will be relocated, free transportation 
coasters or buses, and such other benefits as may be determined by the Transitory 
Commission.
It is my fervent hope that by establishing a new administrative center at a new 
location like New Clark City, the opportunities to have a well-planned urban center 
with modern facilities and technology to enhance goverrjjrieni) efficiency and 
productivity will be boundless. Thus, the passage of this measare-i^^4aflaestty souoflt.
lATCl
10https://business.nnb.com.ph/2017/08/20/re-launched-new-dark-city-set-to-complete-initial-phase-
in-2022/
11 https://bcda.gov.ph/clark-infrastructure-pushes-central-luzon-growtn-93
12 https://www.bworldonline.conn/six-govt-agencies-set-to-move-to-new-cIark-city/


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ] 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ] 
First Regular Session 
]
SENATE 
S.B. No. 810
ot ti'?'■
•22 JUL25 AlO ‘48
RECEIVLD BY:
Introduced by SEN. WIN GATCHALIAN
AN ACT
TRANSFERRING THE PERMANENT SEAT OF THE NATIONAL 
GOVERNMENT TO NEW CLARK CITY, PAMPANGA, CREATING A 
TRANSITORY COMMISSION, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled:
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SECTION 1. Short Tide. — This Act shall be known as the "Kabisera 2030."
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SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to
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ensure efficient delivery of government services, through continuous development of
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its infrastructure and innovative improvements in the delivery of its services. Thus, it
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is imperative for the government to make necessary measures to provide smooth
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operation of government processes and to ease congestion in its capital.
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Towards this goal, the permanent seat of the Government of the Republic of
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the Philippines shall be transferred so that it can spur development in the countryside
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and deliver efficient and effective government services. Government offices in the
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National Capital Region shall function independently from the offices transferred to
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the new permanent seat of the government.


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SEC 3. Objectives. — The objective of this Act is to transfer the permanent 
seat of the national government of the Republic of the Philippines to New Clark City 
in Capas, Tarlac and separating it from the commercial and financial centers in Metro 
Manila in order to create opportunities for progress and spur development in the 
countryside, and to reduce migration, congestion and urban blight in Metro Manila.
SEC. 4. Transfer of the Permanent Seat of Government—The permanent seat 
of the national government of the Republic of the Philippines shall be transferred by 
2030 to the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, where the National Government 
Administrative Center shall be built.
The National Government Administrative Center shall be the new location of 
the following offices:
a) Office of the President;
b) Office of the Vice-President;
c) 
National government agencies; and
d) Government-owned and controlled corporations.
The Office of the President, the Office of the Vice President and all other offices 
under or attached thereto (Offices), and all central offices of national government 
agencies (NGAs) and government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) that 
are located in the National Capital Region (NCR) shall immediately take measures to 
transfer to the National Government Administrative Center in New Clark City in order 
to ensure that their central offices will be fully-operational and functioning by 2030.
The non-critical functions of the NGAs and GOCCs, such as but not limited to 
personnel, transportation, accounting, payroll, human resources, among others, shall 
be prioritized in the transfer. These Offices, NGAs and GOCCs shall ensure that only 
services catering to front-line public needs shall remain within the NCR in various 
satellite offices.
SEC. 5. Preparations prior to Transfer. -The national government, through the 
Transitory Commission, shall immediately take action towards the development and 
implementation of masterplans, strategies and timetable that will provide the 
framework towards the development of New Clark City as the new administration


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center of the Philippine government. It shall be developed as a green smart city
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equipped with the highest standard of modern technology and environment-friendly
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facilities using energy-efficient and green infrastructure solutions, fortified with digital
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information and communications technology infrastructure, and designed with
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effective and efficient transportation systems.
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SEC. 6. Provision of Integrated E-Government Services. - In anticipation of the
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transfer to New Clark City and to improve effectiveness and efficiency in delivering
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government services, the Transitory Commission shall include In in Its masterplan,
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strategies and timetable the establishment, development and provision of integrated
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E-Government Services.
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All affected Offices, NGAs and GOCCs shall immediately take measures to set-
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up electronic and online systems to facilitate the delivery of government services that
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are acceptable to the public and are using web-based software developed by the DICT,
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and adopt Innovative ways In improving government services with the aim of fully-
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providing integrated E-Government services to the public by 2025. These affected
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Offices, NGAs and GOCCs shall develop their action plans aligned with the masterplan
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and timetable developed by the Transitory Commission.
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SEC. 7. Benefits Avaiiabie to Government Empioyees upon Transfer.
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Government employees who shall be affected by the transfer and who will continue
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their government service with the main office in New Clark City shall be accorded the
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following benefits by their respective offices:
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a) Subsidized or low-cost and/or long-term payment options for housing of
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families of government employees relocated 
in New Clark City and
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neighboring cities;
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b) Free transportation coasters/buses to New Clark City from a local pick-up
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point in the National Capital Region; and
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c) Such other benefits as may be determined by the Transitory Commission.
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All regular or permanent employees who shall be affected by this Act shall not
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suffer any loss of seniority or rank or decrease in emoluments.


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SEC. 8. Options Available to Government Employees. Government employees
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who shall be affected and will not transfer to the main office In New Clark City shall
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be given the following options as may be applicable:
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a) Transfer to attached agencies and offices of their respective agencies within
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the NCR;
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b) Special voluntary severance package other than that provided in Republic
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Act No. 6683, otherwise known as "An Act Providing Benefits for Early
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Retirement and Voluntary Separation from Government Service"; and
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c) Exemption for certain pension requirements, amending for this purpose
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Section 11 (1) of Presidential Decree No. 1146, otherwise known as the
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"Revised Government Service Insurance Act of 1977", as amended, for the
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early separation of government employees because of the transfer as
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directed under this Act; and
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d) Free retraining and reskilling programs conducted and developed by the
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Technical Education and Skills Development Authority or the Development
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Academy of the Philippines while awaiting employment in the NCR office of
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other government agencies.
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SEC. 9. Creation of a Transitory Commission. - A Transitory Commission,
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chaired by the President of the Philippines and composed of six (6) members
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representing the Civil Service Commission, Department of Budget and Management,
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Department of Transportation, Department of Information and Communications
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Technology, National Housing Authority, and the Bases Conversion and Development
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Authority, shall be established upon effectivity of this Act.
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The Transitory Commission shall have the following powers and functions:
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a) Lead and organize the preparation, development and Implementation of
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masterplans, strategies, processes and timetable that will provide the
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framework towards the development of New Clark City as the new
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administrative center of the Philippine government;
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b) Facilitate and oversee the establishment, development and provision of
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Integrated E-Government Services to the public aligned with the masterplan,
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strategies and timetable for the transfer to New Clark City;


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c) Serve as oversight committee for transferring and transitioning Offices,
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NGAs and GOCCs;
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d) Determine capabilities of Offices, NGAs and GOCCs to transfer to New Clark
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City and prescribe measures to continue or dismiss such transfer;
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e) Develop and approve necessary transfer and transition requirements and
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conditions of government agencies and corporations, including possible
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modes of transfer, safety measures, and labor standards;
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f) Determine the amount necessary to implement the transfer to New Clark
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City and recommend the same to the President for incorporation in the
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proposed budget of the proper government agencies;
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g) Oversee the immediate implementation of the provisions of this Act;
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h) Perform functions mentioned in other provisions of this Act;
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i) Perform such other functions as may be necessary or implied from this Act.
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The Transitory Commission shall immediately convene upon approval of this
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Act and shall cease to exist upon completion and full implementation of the objectives
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of this Act, which shall not exceed twelve (12) years unless further extended by
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Congress.
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SEC. 10. Appropriations. — For its first year, the amount of Fifty Million Pesos
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(Php50,000,000.00) shall be initially appropriated for the use of the Transitory
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Commission to implement the provisions of this Act. For the succeeding fiscal years
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until its cessation, the Transitory Commission shall include the amounts necessary for
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its operations and the implementation of this Act in the annual General Appropriations
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Act (GAA).
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The Office of the President, the Office of the Vice President and the NGAs shall
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incorporate the amount necessary in the implementation of this Act in the annual
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GAA. The GOCCs shall source the amount necessary for the implementation of this
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Act from their respective corporate funds in the corporate operation budgets approved
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by the Department of Budget and Management.


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SEC. 11. Transitory Provisions. — Upon the transfer of the permanent seat of 
Government to New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac by 2030, the following shall be in 
effect:
a) Manila shall remain to be the capital of the Philippines and the area 
prescribed as Metro Manila under Presidential Decree No. 824 shall continue 
to be the country's commercial and financial center;
b) The offices previously occupied by the government agencies in Metro 
Manila shall be converted into their NCR Regional Offices, as much as 
practicable;
c) The official residence of the President shall remain in the Malacahang 
Palace;
d) Buildings, offices, and Infrastructures to be vacated as a result of the 
relocation which have historical significance shall be transferred, managed 
and maintained by the National Historical Commission; and
e) All government agencies and offices shall assist and support the immediate 
and orderly implementation of this Act.
SEC. 12. Impiementing Ruies and Reguiations. — Within ninety (90) days from 
the effectivity of this Act, the Commission, in consultation with appropriate 
government agencies and other stakeholders, shall promulgate the necessary rules 
and regulations to implement this Act.
SEC. 13. Separabiiity Clause. — If any provision of this Act is declared invalid 
or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall remain valid.
SEC. 14. Repealing Clause. — All acts, executive orders, administrative orders, 
proclamations, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with any of the 
provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.


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SEC 15. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
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publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,