CLI’s reclamation project gets environmental clearance

An architect’s perspective of the Ming-Mori Techno Business Park, a joint project of the municipality of Minglanilla and Ming-Mori Development Corp., an affiliate of Cebu Landmasters

A consortium led by property developer Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) has obtained the environmental clearance needed to proceed with its 100-hectare reclamation project in the municipality of Minglanilla, Cebu.

Following a comprehensive two-year review, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) to the Ming-Mori Minglanilla Reclamation Project on July 22.

The ECC indicates that a proposed undertaking will not cause a significant negative impact on the environment.

After hurdling the ECC requirement, the development will now be subject to the approval process of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA).

The joint venture between the local government of Minglanilla and a private consortium led by CLI affiliate Ming-Mori Development Corp. (MMDC) envisions a world-class estate that will generate over 75,000 jobs in the municipality.

“We hope to achieve the best balance among economic, social and sustainability goals and are pleased that our plans, which have been aligned to that ideal, passed the test of public hearings and DENR’s stringent review process,” said Jose Soberano III, chairman and CEO of CLI, which in turn is the managing developer of the project.

Minglanilla Mayor Elanito Pena said the grant of the ECC had “brought us closer to the materialization of the reclamation project which will propel the Municipality of Minglanilla to higher heights and cements its role as a major economic player in the Province of Cebu.”

“The development project will not just modernize the landscape of Minglanilla but will also create immeasurable socio-economic opportunities to all people, not just for the Minglanillahanons,” he said.

Following a memorandum of agreement between the Municipality of Minglanilla and Ming-Mori Development Corp. in 2013, CLI was appointed in 2015 to tap a roster of consultants with a track record in similar projects to create detailed design and engineering plans, feasibility and environmental studies. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Philippine Reclamation Authority and the Municipality of Minglanilla with Ming-Mori as its private consortium partner in 2016.

Soberano disclosed that in addition to hosting light industrial facilities, the future Ming-Mori Techno Business Park would be a self-contained township with residential and commercial areas. Its proximity to Cebu City is seen to make this estate it an ideal location for a master-planned community with live-work-play opportunities for its residents and visitors.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that well-planned communities that offer growth prospects alongside safety and security for employees and residents are the way to go. This township’s residents will have access to those benefits and more,” he explained.