He has the unmistakable aura of self-confidence you can’t help but decide you are lucky to be up close and personal with him.
After all, Joshua M. Bingcang is the president and chief executive of a most dynamic government-owned and controlled city builder—the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) created by Republic Act (7227 enacted on March 13, 1992.
He admits though that it is “lonely at the top.”
Jake, as he is called by friends and close associates, can easily be any lady’s man, but eat your heart out, woman! He is married and has three beautiful daughters.
“I am a proud being Filipino-Mexican,” he said, explaining that he was born and raised in Mexico, Pampanga.
Bingcang is a licensed electrical engineer and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of the Philippines. He also attended an Urban Policy and Governance program at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and trained at the Harvard Kennedy School in Public-Private Partnerships in Infrastructure in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
He was named top honcho of the BCDA in an order signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on June 2, 2023, replacing his former boss Aileen Anunciacion Zosa.
A walk-through of his track records at the BCDA would show that Jake was also former president and CEO of the Clark International Airport Corp. and senior vice president of the BCDA Group.
He managed and supervised some of the group’s biggest development projects such as the construction and maintenance of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, development of Clark Freeport Zone, construction of first phase of the National Government Administrative Center in New Clark City and expansion of Clark International Airport, to name a few.
This man now eyes consolidation of all BCDA assets, notably the Philippine Army’s Fort Bonifacio now called Bonifacio Global City (BGC), the Air Force’s Nichol’s Airbase known as Newport City, the United States military’s Clark Field in Pampanga which as been renamed Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone and the American troops’ erstwhile resort and vacation spot Camp John Hay in Baguio City which was rechristened John Hay Special Economic Zone.
The group also has the Poro Point Freeport Zone and the Bataan Technology Park.
With the land development of BGC and Newport City nearly winding up (about 80-percent complete), Bingcang trains his sights on Clark north of Metro Manila. He wants to convert the area into a dynamic, progressive, bustling and sustainable mixed-use state comparable to Singapore.
For starters, Bingcang looks forward to a bus rapid transit system for Tarlac, Bulacan and Pampanga. Parallel to the bus line is a railway system traversing Metro Manila to Calamba City in Laguna province.
By 2027, a bus rapid transit (BRT) spanning 50 kilometers to 60 km. may finally connect passengers in Pampanga and Tarlac and service routes to Clark International Airport as the government seeks to provide mass transport in the emerging business district, the BCDA said.
Bingcang said the projected Clark Integrated Public Transport System would traverse New Clark City in Tarlac and Clark Airport and Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga. Bidding for the project, estimated at P3 billion to P5 billion, is expected to be held by the fourth quarter of 2024 or the first quarter of 2025. Construction would possibly take two years.
“It is a mass transport. It is what we want. Less pollution, less cars,” he said.
Bingcang also said they were also planning to deploy electric vehicles and Euro-5 compliant buses along the routes as a way to decrease carbon emissions.
The BCDA official said the BRT project would cover integration of commercial areas for retail outlets and restaurants with bus stations to make the plan financially viable.
Meanwhile, he spares no efforts in laying down the basic infrastructures that would attract investors even as an aggressive marketing and product promotions drive is being pursued to bring locators to Clark.
A number of foreign direct investments have flowed in including a large factory for e-vehicles battery which was already taking shape at the projected mega city.
They say when you’re on top, there’s no way to go but down. True, but I guess Bingcang, who is never in short supply of options, will stay up there for quite some time—until he ultimately decides it’s time to call it a day.