Housing for poor to rise on reclaimed area in Lapu-Lapu City

A SOCIALIZED housing project will be part of a P3-billion mixed use development that will rise on a 203-hectare foreshore area that will be reclaimed in Barangays Canjulao and Punta Engaño, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan revealed in his third State of the City Address Thursday evening, July 8, 2021.

The housing project will occupy 25 hectares of the reclaimed land and will be developed in the portion within Brgy. Canjulao by Premium Mega Structure Inc.

Chan said the primary benefiaries would be the coastal families who were forced to relocate due to the threat of huge waves caused by a typhoon early this year. The mayor estimated in previous interviews that 3,000 families were displaced.

“That area was declared as socialized housing site during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. But it was not developed in the last 18 years. We are going to start development to realize the dreams of our low-income constituents, especially those living along the coast,” he said.

The reclamation project, on the other hand, will be undertaken through a joint venture with Mactan Blue Waters Development Consortium. Chan signed the joint venture agreement on Aug. 7, 2020.

The area will be the site of a business hub previously dubbed as “little Hong Kong” because it will be patterned after the Chinese special administrative region.

Chan said the City Government has started complying with the regulatory requirements for the project.

“We are securing the permits so we can start work on this as soon as possible. We envision this mixed use project to generate huge revenues for our City,” he said.

Health services

Chan also reported that construction of the first two phases of the Lapu-Lapu City Hospital has been completed and Oponganons have started to avail themselves of the services, which are rendered free for the indigent. The City Government has hired medical workers to man the facility.

“Instead of going to private hospitals, a lot of residents now go to our hospital because they could seen that the facility and the services have improved,” Chan said.

The Department of Health (DOH) 7 has set aside funds for the construction of phase 3. Additional funds have been pledged by Senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Juan Edgardo Angara.

On Olango Island, Chan said the Santa Rosa Hospital now has an emergency room and cadaver area.

The City Government has also procured ambulances, which were distributed to the barangays.

Road projects

Under the Ahong Cares Bayanihan Project, 71 roads with a total length of 20 kilometers were concreted at no cost to the City Government.

“The previous administration said that they could not do anything because the roads are privately owned. It’s easy for them to avoid addressing the problem and the Oponganons have no choice but to accept this reason,” Chan said.

Aside from the road concreting projects, the City Government has also undertaken 10 drainage projects. Three houses were constructed through bayanihan.

Meanwhile, Chan said Olango Island now has a stable electricity supply with the construction of the Olango Power Plant.

Other outlying islands, which have not been served by the Mactan Electric Co., now have solar power. Chan said solar panels were distributed to the residents of Caubian, Coahagan and Pangan-an Islands.

Lapu-Lapu City Rep. Paz Radaza, in a statement, described Chan’s statements as lies. She said she will respond to each allegation in time.

“While others spend every second of their life aggrandizing oneself, we take the high road by showing our trait of being a true Oponganon – we rise on our own merits and not by shamelessly building lies. We refuse to dignify cheap desperation marked by spending every moment of office term for politicking as if every day is election day. This not only degrades public service, but also insults the intelligence of every Oponganon. The right time will come for us to respond to their lies,” Radaza said. (GCM, REV / MVI)