CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The city government has said it will study land banking and reclamation schemes to prepare for maintaining economic development amid an expected increase in population here.
In a statement Wednesday, City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) chief Ramir Balquin said land banking continues to be viable for the city to resolve the problem of relocating settlers displaced by ongoing infrastructure projects.
"The burden of relocating them falls on us, hence, land banking still needs to continue," he said.
Land banking is the practice of buying land as an investment and holding it for future use with no specific plans.
The city’s land banking program was launched by the late former mayor Pablo Magtajas in the early 90s and is intended to provide relocation sites to displaced settlers.
But with a growing population, Balquin said they need to evaluate the results of the latest inventory of lands in the city to determine if there are still more suitable areas for relocation.
He said they were given until December this year by Mayor Rolando Uy to update the city’s CLUP or comprehensive land use plan, which would cover the next five years.
The CLUP covers an overview of the local government‘s development agenda and how it impacts the city’s land resources to the public's needs and concerns.
Balquin said the mayor saw the potential for reclamation to expand the city’s land area and one such project involves the site for the city’s ongoing coastal road project.
Uy earlier ordered the creation of the City Reclamation Board which he chairs along with Councilor Edgar Cabanlas.
The city government wants to develop an initial 20 hectares on a proposed realigned coastal road project stretching from Barangays Gusa to Cugman. (PNA)
