STRESSING that Lake Lanao and its watersheds are now in the middle of an ecological crisis, Senator Loren Legarda is pushing for the creation of the Lake Lanao Development Authority.
Legarda said a 2006 study made by the Mindanao State University found that the Lake suffers from massive algae contamination brought about by indiscriminate logging, extensive land-use and farming.
She said the continued deterioration of Lake Lanao is most unfortunate, given its historical, cultural, economic and ecological importance to the country.
“Being the only ancient lake in the country, Lake Lanao is considered of prime ecological importance, which justified the establishment of the Lake Lanao Watershed way back in 1992 pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 871,” Legarda said.
Considered as part of their ancestral domain, she said Lake Lanao is also of significant historical and cultural importance to indigenous peoples, particularly the Maranaos who continue to live in areas surrounding the lake.
“It also plays an important role in securing Mindanao’s energy needs as it supplies water for six of its existing hydroelectric power plants, collectively responsible for 70 percent of the island’s energy needs,” Legarda added.
She pointed out that although the poor state of the Lake is attributed to man-made activity, this was further compounded by the absence of a clear framework in managing its water and watershed resources.
With this, Legarda filed Senate Bill 3097 that seeks to establish an effective policy and regulatory administration over Lake Lanao thru the Lake Lanao Development Authority, thereby ensuring the promotion and development of Mindanao’s important natural resource base in a sustainable manner.
“The Authority shall have the exclusive jurisdiction to issue Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECCs)/Certificate of Non-Coverage (CNCs) and grant permits for any projects or activities in or affecting the Lake Lanao Area. The proposed measure also aims to adopt the integrated water resources management to promote sustainable development in the same area,” she said.
Legarda added that the bill also seeks to create the Public Hearing Committee to strengthen Lake Lanao Development Authority’s ability to resolve disputes; and the Lanao Lake Police exclusively for the Lake Lanao Area trained especially for the enforcement of fisheries and environmental laws and the rules and regulations duly promulgated by the Authority.
DAVAO CITY — This city’s planning and development office has completed a new comprehensive land use plan that will be submitted to Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio for approval before the end of the month.
Chief city planner Roberto P. Alabado III said the plan, to be observed for the next 10 years, addresses four concerns, namely: disaster risk reduction, climate change impact mitigation, transport system integration and sustainable development.
“Once you apply for… clearance, you are instructed to build your house or building according to the level where the floods rise the highest,” Mr. Alabado explained, noting that the city has seen floods as much as a meter deep.
The new plan, Mr. Alabado added, also requires commercial establishments to provide easements for loading and unloading of passengers in order not to impede vehicular traffic along main roads.
He said the envisioned new zoning ordinance will likely take effect early next year. — J. B. Escovilla
REPRESENTATIVE Rufus B. Rodriguez of the 2nd District, this city supports the idea of renaming the Laguindingan Airport Development Project (LADP) into the “Cagayan de Oro-Misamis Oriental Airport” to attain global impact.
The suggestion to rename the airport came from Secretary Sonny Coloma of the Presidential Communications and Operations Office (PCOO), when he was here for the inauguration of the newly-renovated Radio Ng Bayan-DXIM of the Philippine Broadcasting Services (PBS) along San Agustin-Velez Sts., this city, recently.
“Renaming LIA to CDO-MisOr Airport would give way for ‘easy recall’ to the foreign tourists and can ride on the popularity of CDO, which has already carved a niche in the world tourist map,” the PCOO Secretary said.
A former Undersecretary of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), the government agency that implements the construction of the LADP, the PCOO Secretary said the airport, should lure more foreign tourists into Northern Mindanao.
Once operational, the airport would now truly become the “Gateway to Northern Mindanao,” which is a very good destination for tourists.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez said he is looking into projects that would improve the tourism industry in the region, because of its many potentials to improve the livelihood of the residents, not only of those living near the LADP, but also in the neighboring areas.
He said tourism has many downside industries that can benefit the residents, because tourists would need transportation in going from one destination to another.
They need food to eat. They need places or hotels to stay. They need souvenirs to bring home. They need tourist guides. They need people to do their laundry and they are willing to spend their money to make their visit worthwhile.
So far, the region has many destinations which can be reached in just a single day from the LADP, so that government projects leading towards these areas must be put in place before the it operates, he said.
“In fact, I demanded that the Department of Tourism (DOT) Budget for 2012 be revised, during the recent budget hearing, when I saw that the road improvement leading to the White Water River Rafting and F.S. Catanico Falls in the city, were not included in their budget proposal,” Rodriguez said.
He said DOT now have allocated Php20 million, each, for the improvement of the roads leading to these areas, next year.
Among others, the Congressman mentioned the following destinations, which are accesiblen to the tourists:
Eco Gardens of Malasag in Cagayan de Oro City and the Nature’s Adventure Park in Initao, this province.
Dahilayan Zip Line, Transfiguration Church, Del Monte Pineapple Plantation and the Flower Farms in Bukidnon.
Maria Cristina Falls, Timoga Cold Springs and Macapagal Ancestral Home in Iligan City and Tinago Falls in Linamon, Lanao del Norte. (pia-10)By: Richie Cabahug-Aguhob
AYALA CORP. is looking to bid for the operation and maintenance (O&M) contract of an airport that will serve Cagayan de Oro, an area where the conglomerate is already building a mall and housing complex.
This comes on top of the firm’s interest in other infrastructure projects lined up by the government for privatization, marking a further foray out of its core businesses.
“We are looking at the new airport in Cagayan de Oro that will start operating I think in 2013,” Delfin C. Gonzalez, Jr., Ayala’s chief finance officer, told reporters last week, referring to the Laguindingan facility in Misamis Oriental, roughly 50 kilometers away from the existing Lumbia airport.
“It actually sits on a property that we donated to the government,” Mr. Gonzalez said.
“[Ayala] also owns about 500 more hectares around it,” he said. “We are also looking at participating in that so that it can also help to spur the development of [the area].”
The Aquino government has included the privatization of Laguindingan Airport’s operation and maintenance project among the 10 vital infrastructure projects to be opened for private investment under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program.
The 20-year operations concession is seen to reduce government expenditures and improve the quality of service at the airport.
According to PPP Center, the new airport on a 393-hectare property is seen to accommodate 1.2 million passengers per year based on its master plan.
The tender period had earlier been slated to end by next month but a government decision to review all projects up for bidding is expected to delay the contract’s awarding.
Ayala, through its subsidiaries, is already building a mall in the area via a joint venture. It is also developing a subdivision and is looking to construct a hotel as well, earlier reports show.
Ayala officials have said that the company is interested in other PPP projects offered by the government, particularly the Daang Hari-South Luzon Expressway road project.
“We need an operator partner [which is a] foreign [firm],” Mr. Gonzalez said, when asked about the firm’s progress in bidding for the road project.
The interest in infrastructure comes as Ayala is looking to venture into other industries including power.
The conglomerate announced in March its bid to build a portfolio of over 1,000 MW in generating assets. It has already formed joint ventures with partners for coal, wind and hydroelectric power projects.
Mr. Gonzalez reiterated the company would spend P100 million in the next five years for its power ventures.
“But there is no immediate fund raising that we are looking at right now,” he said
Ayala’s first-half net income climbed by 12% to P4.9 billion over year-ago levels, propelled by its property, banking, water distribution and telecom units.
CAGAYAN DE ORO — The Iligan City council has deferred the Swiss challenge for the 103-megawatt Iligan diesel-fired plant complex as it awaits the Commission on Audit’s recommended updated ceiling price for the power asset.
Conal Holdings Corp., under the Alcantara Group, last year submitted an unsolicited offer of P300 million for the two-plant complex.
While the period for the Swiss challenge was originally scheduled to end on Oct. 13, the city council decided last week to hold off the exercise until the Commission on Audit (CoA) recommended a ceiling price, Councilor Moises G. Dalisay, Jr., chairman of the ad hoc committee on the power plants’ disposal, said in a telephone interview last weekend.
Norberto J. Oller, vice-president of the Lanao Power Consumers Federation, noted in a separate phone interview that previous appraisals placed the power complex’s value at P2.1 billion (CoA, in a 2007 report), P1.9 billion (National Power Corp.) and P1.8 billion (Lanao Consumers Federation).
The City of Iligan acquired the 7.9-hectare power plant complex under a compromise agreement with the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp., following the latter’s failure to settle real estate tax liabilities for the asset.
The $110-million power plant complex was commissioned in 1993 as a joint build-operate-transfer (BOT) undertaking of the Alcantara Group and Tomen Corp. of Japan, called Northern Mindanao Power Corp. (NMPC).
Previously designated as NMPC-1 (60.9 megawatts) and NMPC-2 (42 megawatts), the plants were renamed as Iligan Diesel Power Plant 1 and 2 when ownership of the two units was turned over to the National Power Corp. on July 31, 2003 and on Feb. 9, 2006, respectively, after the BOT contract expired.
Three investor groups subsequently expressed interest to bid for the power plant complex and conducted due diligence on the units.
However, only Conal Holdings and Energy Developer Co. Ltd. of Seoul, South Korea — a company involved in renewable energy generation — were eventually deemed qualified by the city’s bids and awards committee to vie for ownership of the plant. — M. D. Baños
