Billions of pesos of infrastructure projects seen to fuel growth in Cebu

Connectivity, real estate and growth

VILLAR/AUGUST 24,2017: DPWH Sec Mark Villar shows the plans for Metro Cebu Expressway from Naga City to Danao City during the Mandaue City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Business Summit at Mandani. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)

New access to connectivity projects are expected to spur economic growth in Cebu City and Cebu province and also seen to fuel growth to the real estate industry especially in the countryside.

Cebu Investment and Promotions Office (CIPO) head Roy Soledad said that while many towns and cities in the province have started recognizing the need to eventually accommodate property developers, there are still some issues that need to be resolved to encourage investors in their localities.

“The most common problem in the countryside (for real estate), aside from the availability of a market, is the state of our infrastructure,” Soledad said in an interview with Cebu Daily News, citing the need to improve the province’s major highways and more infrastructure projects to improve mobility to spur real estate growth in Cebu’s countryside.

P458-B projects

A problem that can be addressed with the P458-billion Philippine Inter-Island Linkage Project, which the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) plan to implement in 2017 to 2022 under the national government’s “build, build, build” initiative.

4th Cebu bridge

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said these projects would include the construction of a fourth bridge that would link Lapu-Lapu City to mainland Cebu.

Villar was referring to the 420-meter bridge that the national government planned to build near the Cansaga Bay area in Barangay Consolacion to Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City.

Villar said that they were working with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which would do a feasibility study on this project.

3rd bridge dev’t

With the plan for the fourth bridge on the works, the third Cebu bridge project, the P27.9 billion Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) is also moving forward with the scheduled awarding of contract among two foreign contractors expected to take place this month.

Contract award

Presidential Legislative Liaison Officer Adelino Sitoy, who is also the former Cordova mayor, said that there had not yet been a formal award of the contract because the Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corp., the private component of this public-private partnership project, is still negotiating with the two qualified contractors, a Korean and a Spanish contractor.

“Third bridge will start from South Road Properties viaduct to the vicinity of Shell Island. From Shell will be a causeway to Barangay Bangbang in Cordova, then to Barangay Pilipog,” said Sitoy in a Cebu province report.

Cebu-Negros bridge

Villar also cited the DPWH’s plan to build a bridge linking Cebu to Negros Oriental via Santander town in southern Cebu during the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) Business Summit on Thursday.

Villar discussed the construction of the seven-kilometer bridge project with businessmen during the MCCI Business Summit.

The new bridge will cut the Cebu to Negros travel period down to 20 minutes.

Project welcomed

“This will bring about major economic change for the entire country, not just for Cebu and Negros Oriental,” said MCCI president Glenn Anthony Soco.

Soco said that he hopes for the project to be realized immediately as it will be an avenue to boost the economic performance of the entire Central Visayas.

Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) president Melanie Ng said the new access to connectivity will provide more opportunities for both of the provinces’ tourism industries and economic development.

“It can also greatly improve the way of life of the people, especially those who need to work in the cities. It would be easier for them to go to work and go home to their families during weekends,” said Ng.

Soledad, for his part, said that Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III had made it his priority for this term to improve roads in the province.

Road projects
Soledad said that they are also looking at a parallel road, secondary to the national highway, to reduce traffic and cut travel time within the province.
He added that the provincial government is planning to improve the airports on Bantayan and Camotes Islands as well as considering to build an airport in Medellin town, northern Cebu.

Economic zones

Furthermore, he said that if the provincial government’s plan to build 17 economic zones across Cebu will come to fruition, thousands of jobs will be created and people will no longer have to look for employment in Cebu City.

The Capitol official said these projects are expected to spur the economic growth of the countryside and, in turn, encourage investors to put up real estate projects there.

The other projects included in the P458-billion Philippine Inter-Island Linkage Project are Cebu-Negros Bridge, a 27.5-kilometer bridge that would connect Cebu and Bohol island, diversion roads from Talisay City to Naga City, Guadalupe to Lahug in Cebu City, and Mandaue City to Liloan; and an underpass on UN Avenue in Mandaue City /With Reporter Jose Santino S. Bunachita