Guv to lead reclamation project groundbreaking

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia will lead the groundbreaking of the 20-hectare reclamation project in the municipality of Cordova on August 19, in time for the inauguration of the roll-on/roll-off port.

Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy yesterday said the first barge of filling materials will also arrive on the said date.

The Capitol initially allocated P80 million for the 10-hectare reclamation and an additional amount will be appropriated for the other 10 hectares.

Sitoy said the reclamation is vital to the roro port project because the wharf is only 12 meters wide and they need portions of the reclamation area for commercial establishments, warehouses and port offices.

Municipal engineer Soripo Singculan told The FREEMAN that the port is 90 percent complete but it is not yet operational during the inauguration.

The total cost of the project is P30 million, of which P23 million is loaned from the Land Bank of the Philippines. The municipal government chips in P7 million as counterpart fund.

The Capitol, however, has yet to secure an environmental compliance certificate and the approval of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) for the other 10-hectare project.

Sitoy said the province will apply for a new ECC with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which is a requirement for PRA’s approval.

The PRA is reportedly requiring that 30 percent or six hectares of the total reclaimed area should be turned over to the authority. 

Sitoy said the Certificate of Land Title for the reclaimed area will be initially under the name of the PRA but the 70 percent will eventually be turned over to the province through a memorandum of agreement.

During the occasion, a newly built classroom at the Cordova Community College will also be inaugurated. 

The building, amounting to P500,000, is donated by the Vice Mayor’s League of the Philippines – Cebu Chapter. (FREEMAN)