Tagbilaran City reclamation project rejected

CEBU, Philippines — Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane Yap has officially declined the proposal made by the Tagbilaran Waterfront Development Corporation (TWDC) that involves the reclamation of 153 hectares of land located along the coastal areas of barangays Mansasa, Poblacion I, Poblacion II, Cogon, Booy, and Taloto.

“Tungod kay ang inyong tingog mao ang akong tingog. We will not continue with all activities related to the Tagbilaran City Waterfront Development Project. Tungod kay consultative ug participative ang atong style of leadership,” said the mayor in a press statement.

Around a year ago, consortium of companies presented a proposal for a 153-hectare waterfront reclamation project off the coast of Tagbilaran City, which was met with strong opposition by residents, environmental groups, and lawyers due to the effects of the project to the environment and the communities.

The first woman mayor of Tagbilaran City said that her priority will always be her people and their natural environment, and the city will always listen to the voice of the people, which was why they conducted a series of public consultative meetings.

The public consultations made in line with the proposed project were done even down to the grassroots level, said Yap.

She said that they listened to the sentiments of the people, and the message of opposition came across clear, especially the statement of Bishop Abet Uy, a person whom Yap said she respects so much and whose guidance she treasures a lot.

In her press statement, the mayor quoted the bishop’s message that says, “Our duty is to uphold and nurture the integrity of our environment through preservation and protection".

Yap assured that the City Government of Tagbilaran is open for development, but will do so while protecting the environment.

“As one of the fastest developing local government units in the Philippines, we will always refer to our advocacy of balancing economic progress with environmental protection in making any executive decision. Tagbilaran will keep going, and not only that, it will continue to grow as we support the dreams of each Tagbilaranon towards shared progress in our beloved City,” Yap said.

The mayor explained that they had to accept the submission of the project proposal as it is the proper process.

“Una, ang pagdawat sa proposal di nagpasabot na itukod na sya dayon. Ang pagdawat sa proposal nagpasabot lang nga maminaw ta for economic development opportunities,” she said.

Yap said that the project was also considered as it can generate huge income for the city.

She said that the current real property tax (RPT) of the city is at P84 million, and if the project was to push through, it is expected to boost the city’s RPT to P500 million per year.

She said that the six coastal Barangays, namely Cogon, Booy, Taloto, Poblacion 2, Poblacion 1 and Mansasa, would have a share of P30 to P50 million each barangay per year out of the said tax.

The mayor explained that this increase would have given additional benefit to the people in terms of hospitalization, tenement housing, scholarship grants, school buildings, senior citizen benefits, opening of roads, livelihood, burial assistance, among others.

Further, the project would have also created 57,000 job opportunities which is equivalent to the population of the city.

“While we envision economic growth for Tagbilaran in order to provide more employment opportunities in our communities, we always consider the environmental impact of our economic policies and programs as a way to protect our rich natural resources for the future generations of Tagbilaranons. We take our role as responsible stewards of God's creations to heart, as part of our mission to protect the trust that has been given to us by the people,” the mayor further said. — (FREEMAN)