Provincial Board Approves Cordova Reclamation Project

The municipality of Cordova has been given authority to reclaim land, upon the approval of a resolution by the Provincial Board in its April 6 session. The resolution was authored by PB Member Arleigh Sitoy and seconded by PB Member Celestino “Tining” Martinez III.

Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy explained to the Board that the plan to reclaim around 1,500 hectares of land will greatly benefit not only Cordova, but also the Province of Cebu. The prospective taxes alone can help the Province of Cebu in terms of having additional funds and not relying on the national government for funding.

On the issue of local fishermen losing their means of livelihood if the reclamation pushes through, Sitoy assured the legislative body that there have been consultations between the LGU and the fisher folks about certain agreements. Chief among these arrangements is the scholarship grant given to children of the fishermen by the LGU from elementary to college.

He continued to state that the said project is the biggest in the Philippines, which has attracted big time investors such as SM Prime Holdings, Malayan Integrated Industries Corp. (MIIC) and One-Earth Project Management Ventures Inc (1-ePMVi), and many others.

Furthermore, Sitoy explained that according to the Local Government Code, only provinces and independent cities have the authority to reclaim land. Municipalities are excluded because of the principle “what is delegated cannot be further delegated.”

Accordingly, the mayor appealed to the Provincial Board to give Cordova authority to reclaim land since the Province does not have fiscal capacity to fund the said project.

Vice-Governor Agnes Magpale clarified about the exact share of the Province of Cebu regarding the project. Sitoy said that the LGU is willing to give more than twenty percent of the proceeds to the province.

Upon motion, Magpale asked the body if there is any objection to the proposed resolution. Hearing none, the resolution was passed with unanimous approval. (by Jaime Bernardo Tumulak)

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