CLI to develop P20-B techno-business park – BusinessWorld

The Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) has approved the 100-hectare reclamation project in Cebu, paving the way for Cebu Landmasters, Inc. (CLI) to develop a P20-billion techno-business park in the area.  

The PRA and Minglanilla local government unit on Friday signed the agreement for the Ming-Mori Techno-Business Park.  

CLI will develop and manage the techno-hub, saying it is one of the property developer’s biggest projects so far.   

“Because of the scale of this project that will take several phases to develop, we have carefully and meticulously planned it to be sustainable and supportive of future generations,” CLI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Ming-Mori Development Corp. President Jose R. Soberano III said in a statement on Friday.  

Aside from receiving the go signal from the PRA, the P20-billion project received an environmental compliance certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in 2020 after more than five years of review.   

“This is one of the start of a series of reclamation probably here because the only way for us to grow farther is to expand and to reclaim,” Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said at the signing ceremony on Friday.  

A detailed engineering design of the project is still needed, as well as other pre-construction requirements.   

The Ming-Mori project is an “island type” of reclamation, which will be connected by bridges. The 100-hectare land area will be divided into two islands, one will span 75 hectares while the other will cover around 25 hectares. In-land filling for the project will be sourced from the mountains of Minglanilla, “as much as possible.”   

“This could also start the ball rolling for more similar projects along the coast and that’s the only way we could expand because we all know that reclamation is always the answer for limited [areas],” Mr. Soberano said at the ceremony, pointing to countries like Singapore and the United States.  

The hub is designed by Singapore-based Surbana Jurong Consultants Pte. Ltd.   

Its first phase will feature commercial, residential, and institutional centers. It will also have its own port facility.   

Cebu Landmasters said it has “solid support” from equity and bank partners for the project. It was also able to secure P3 billion notes to fund the first phase of construction, which is eyed to begin in the fourth quarter. It aims to complete the Ming-Mori project within three to five years.  

Minglanilla Mayor Elanito A. Peña said the techno-business hub will help the municipality to achieve its goal of becoming a “world-class economic hub.”  

“Our constituents will no longer look for jobs that require them to travel long [distances] as jobs can now be availed within reach,” Mr. Peña said. “The municipality income I think will increase, and therefore we will be able to better provide the basic needs and services to our people.”