Cagayan de Oro pushes for planned development

As featured in BusinessWorld on January 25, 2016

Not for EDCA use: CdO pushes for old airport’s commercial development

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Local officials here are taking various initiatives to keep the Lumbia Airport, which is being eyed as a growth area for the city’s urban expansion, from being used as part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and United States.

The airport, located about 10 kilometers from the downtown area at an elevation of 180 meters above sea level, used to be the main gateway in Northern Mindanao before the opening of the Laguindingan International Airport. It stopped operations for commercial flights in June 2013 and has since been turned over to the Philippine Air Force Tactical Operations Group.

The City Investments Promotions Center unveiled over the weekend a plan to develop Lumbia and its environs covering Barangay Lumbia into a residential and economic growth center.

Local Economic and Investment Promotions Officer Eileen E. San Juan said the city government already had initial talks with the United Nations Habitat to be part of the development of the 850-hectare area into a mixed-use complex with residential, commercial, institutional, and agro-industrial components.

Barangay Lumbia, with a population of almost 2,000 households, is essentially a farming village whose produce are delivered downtown and in the neighboring province of Bukidnon on a daily basis.

UN Habitat has expressed intent to develop settlement facilities through its Achieving Sustainable Urban Development project.

Ms. San Juan said this would then be complemented with other potential sources of funding, including from the local government, loans and grants, public private partnerships, or national government equity.

CDO_planning1200x630Ms. San Juan also said she met with Department of National Defense officials last week on the plight of the 106-hectare airport in relation to the city’s proposed development and EDCA was not part of the discussion.

This means, she said, that reports of Lumbia being used as an American military facility is still “speculation at this point.”

Councilor Lourdes D. Darimbang warned that US military presence at the old airport could put the planned development in the Lumbia area at risk.

“We will also be putting up there a state-of-the-art geriatrics hospital and we can’t risk it being targeted for terrorism just because we’re accommodating the Americans for the sake of EDCA,” Ms. Darimbang said.

2nd District Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez recently filed a bill that will transfer the ownership of Lumbia Airport from the national government to the local government.

Mr. Rodriguez also previously filed a bill calling for the sale of the airport and use the fund to partly finance the proposed Mindanao Railway System.

 

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Related Posts

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Publications

The Future of Asian & Pacific Cities Report 2023 entitled, Crisis Resilient Urban Futures, is a comprehensive analysis and assessment of sustainable urban development in the Asia and Pacific region at a time of great disruption and uncertainty resulting from multiple interlinked global crises in a post-pandemic era.

Let's Work Together