Pueblo de Oro sparks Green Revolution in Northern Mindanao

THE 40-HECTARE Pueblo de Oro Urban Rainforest will offer horseback riding and forest walking activities in the planned eco-trail.

A new kind of revolution is sweeping across a township project in Cagayan de Oro. The uprising, however, doesn’t involve guns and goons but people who have the heart for everything green.

The principle is called “Green Revolution” or “New Urbanism,” said Guillermo D. Luchangco, where residents are given the possibility to work and live in green. Luchangco is the chair and CEO of Pueblo de Oro Development Corp.

In a recent visit to the sprawling property, this writer was given an exclusive peek into the 360-hectare Pueblo de Oro Township, a brainchild of PODC in Northern Mindanao and touted to be the first eco-sustainable township in the whole country.

Inside the Pueblo de Oro Township on Airport Road, one easily feels the warmth of nature. At the Pueblo Golf and Country Club, for instance, there are pockets of green—lots of them. Right at home is the 18-hole all-weather golf course designed by renowned Robert Trent Jones II and five man-made lakes that serve as reservoirs to conserve water.

GOLF Estates is Pueblo’s premier subdivision, and the only one in Cagayan de Oro that uses the cluster concept of development, wherein small residential clusters are spread throughout Pueblo de Oro’s world-class championship golf course.

The golf course’s drainage system, in fact, directs the used water into the lakes for irrigation. The measure is cost-effective as it enables the company to save on water. The previously idle areas are also developed to become little green nurseries and butterfly farms.

For 15 years, PODC has been making green revolution a reality in its many projects in various parts of the country.

“In (Pueblo de Oro) we take the initiative and make big steps to keep the city green and to encourage lifestyle in keeping with the Green Revolution,” Luchangco related. He added that homeowners themselves were active in various tree-planting activities.

The 40-hectare Pueblo de Oro Urban Rainforest is also testament to the company’s pledge to biodiversity.

THE COURTYARDS is the first horizontal condominium development in Northern Mindanao.

Forest walking

In this three-day tour, this writer was able to tackle rolling hills on a horse and we also walked through the jungles covered by the 40-hectare forest estate. Plans are underway to build an eco-trail, where residents and guests can enjoy horseback riding and forest walking—a widely popular pastime in countries like Japan, South Korea and Taiwan that PODC hopes to bring to the region.

The fact that many Cagayanons—OFWs and expats alike—who invest in the township reflect its many advantages and conveniences. Aside from food, the city’s come-ons also include the white water rafting activity for the adventurous lot. For this particular trip, we were able to try Elpie Paras’ Duck Tour—a vehicle that runs on both water and land.

Horizontal condo

A few blocks away from the SM mall is The Courtyards, the firm’s horizontal condominium development and said to be the first of its kind in the region.

The Courtyard occupies two hectares of highly exclusive and fully built-up condo houses. The units boast of superior finishing such as stone claddings, sliding Analok windows with bronze glass, stainless steel railings and granite kitchen countertops. The condo buildings are clusters of three to eight units. Each unit has three bedrooms and provisions for the maid’s room, two-car garage for the end units and one-car garage for the inner unit.

The township, through the Oro Chamber, also promotes efficient city lighting. There are ponds in the valley portion of the estates to contain water runoff from the plateau before it reaches the creeks. The outflow ponds help protect low lying areas from flash floods, Luchangco said.

THE HOTEL Koresco in Pueblo de Oro Township

Also part of the so-called green revolution are e-shuttles currently plying the streets of the township. These eco-friendly vehicles help mitigate noise and air pollution.

To date, a number of units and houses are still available for investors and settlers in the township’s subdivision projects. One can choose from among the Golf Estates, Hillsborough Pointe, Philamlife Village, Forest View Homes and Granvia Residences.

Primavera Residences, the first condominium in the township to use solar panels and located just across from the mall, had just offered its new set of inventory.

Under the brand name Pueblo de Oro Communities, similar developments in key cities nationwide are also in full swing as Pueblo de Oro offers a total of 90 hectares of self-sustaining villages in San Fernando, Pampanga; Lapu-Lapu, Cebu; and Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

Photos by Romy Homillada