Gov. Gwen Garcia has reiterated that the Capitol is dead set in implementing an ordinance that will entitle the Province to 10% of the “usable” reclaimed land in all reclamation projects undertaken by the authority of the Province within its jurisdiction.
In a meeting by the Cebu Provincial Reclamation Authority (CPRA) at the Capitol on July 10, representatives from private firms who are undertaking reclamation projects in Cebu made a request for them to be allowed to pay the Province in cash or offer land swap deals involving their other properties for the equivalent value of the Capitol’s 10% share of the actual reclaimed land.
Gov. Garcia, who sits as chairperson of the CPRA, however explained that under Provincial Ordinance No. 2024-05, cash payments as well as land swap deals are no longer available to the reclamation proponents as the Province will only accept a 10% share of the usable area of the reclaimed lot itself — making the Province an owner of property in reclaimed areas.
The CPRA is composed of Board Members Glenn Anthony Soco, Red Duterte, Atty. Jiembo Borgonia, and Mela Franco; as well as Capitol consultants Atty. Rory Jon Sepulveda, and Atty. Ben Cabrido Jr., and provincial legal chief Atty. Donato Villa, among others.
In 1996, the Capitol enacted Ordinance No. 96-14 or the “Cebu Reclamation Ordinance,” which created the CPRA to, among other things, approve, undertake, and prosecute reclamation projects in Cebu; as well as prescribe policies, rules, and regulations on reclamations already undertaken and yet to be undertaken by government agencies and private entities in the province.
The said ordinance has been amended during Gov. Garcia’s terms in 2009, 2023, and 2014 under the current provision that decrees that the Province shall be entitled to 10% of the actual usable reclaimed land in all reclamation projects in Cebu.
Gov. Garcia said such a policy ensures that the Province benefits from the development and economic opportunities that arise from reclamation projects in its jurisdiction.
In their next meeting later this month, the reclamation proponents are expected to present to the CPRA an identified area in their reclaimed lands that shall constitute the Capitol’s 10% mandatory share of the property, which could be monetized in many ways, such as leasing the said property to the proponents, thereby generating not just a one-time income but a continuing revenue for the Province.
Among those present on the side of the reclamation proponents are representatives from Cebu South Harbor, Mabuhay Filcement, Atlas Fertilizer, Global Business Power Corp., Solid Earth Development Corp., Therma Visayas, Inc., Cebu South Port, Dynacast Shipbuilding and Repairs Inc., and Cebu Industrial Park Developers, Inc. | MARM