DUMAGUETE City, the provincial capital of Negros Oriental, is planning to build a 174-hectare, P23-billion global township, which is aimed at transforming it into a new economic powerhouse in central Philippines.
According to city mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo, the project is a public-private partnership proposal by EM Cuerpo Inc. (EMCI) which is envisioned to be completed in five years upon commencement of construction.
“The township project will transform Dumaguete into a highly urbanized city with a mixed-use central business district equipped with earth-friendly building systems, green energy sources, and 5G modern information technologies. It will also house public facilities for health, housing, education, sports, and transportation,” said Remollo.
Dubbed as a “smart city,” the ambitious five-year project will be developed at no cost to the local government, it will have a 5G-ready underground cable network to host ICT locators, and a hybrid solar and wind power plan to generate renewable energy.
He added that the smart city will commence with two wastewater treatment facilities with a sewage treatment plant and a diversion piping system lift station for the release of cleaner water to the bay.
A wave protection system will also be installed to shield coastal barangays from surges and waves during bad weather.
Composed of two horizontal reclaimed islands 30 meters away from the shoreline, the smart city will be built on the wings of Rizal Boulevard to avoid obstructing the view from the city’s touristic bayside road and the iconic Silliman University.
The local chief executive said that the proposed development will be a legacy project which will provide additional sources of revenues for the city government for the more efficient provision of basic social services and public infrastructure.
In line with Dumaguete being named by the Philippine Retirement Authority as among the country’s best places to retire, it will have facilities for wellness and geriatric health care.
The project proponent, EM Cuerpo Inc., is a 20-year-old Manila-based firm with an “AAAA” Contractor License from the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), and has done various public and private schools, hospitals, roads, flood control, and government structures.
The company is also involved in seaport and airport projects under the administration’s Build, Build, Build program, most notably the recently concluded Clark and Bicol international airports.
Sectoral groups have expressed their support to the proposed development after a series of discussions with local officials. The groups include business-process outsourcing workers, church pastors, Muslim entrepreneurs, academic community, fisherfolk, informal sector workers, coastal barangay residents, and senior citizens.
The groups’ leaders said the planned development will create tens of thousands of jobs and income opportunities in the city and neighboring towns in Negros Oriental, Cebu, Siquijor and northern Mindanao.
Remollo concluded that the city government will adopt a “avoid, integrate, replace” framework to minimize the project’s impact on the bay’s marine ecosystem, and use new technologies to ensure its long-term sustainability.
He said that Cebu-based marine biologists from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources recently assessed Dumaguete’s aquatic resources, and its findings will be used to map the area for reclamation.