UPSCALE real estate developer Landco Pacific Corp. (Landco) is ready for Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s inspection next week as it has already completed rehabilitation and construction of six water detention ponds at Monterrazas de Cebu.
The detention ponds, which has a total capacity of more than 10,000 cubic meters of rainwater, was among the conditions set by the mayor before reinstating the development permit of Monterrazas de Cebu.
The project—which covers an area 210 hectares, involving the upland portions of Barangays Guadalupe, Tisa, Labangon and Sapangdaku in Cebu City—was blamed for the landslide that affected Sitio Dakit, Barangay Guadalupe in April this year. The incident prompted City Hall to suspend the development permit of Landco.
Zenaida Quibranza, Landco operation manager, said the company has already “made substantial compliance” to the conditions set by the Mayor to instill “mitigating measures” to avoid another landslide.
Landco spent P20 million to construct the facilities. Aside from the detention ponds, the company reported that the construction of retaining walls is 60 percent completed.
Landco, through a contractor, flew in 10 Ifugaos who are skilled in the construction of retaining walls by using manual labor.
The Ifugaos, whose ancestors are known for the Banaue Rice Terraces, are considered “experts” in slope protection.
Slope protection
The company is the first to use the “coco-matting technology,” which involves the use of coconut husks to cover slopes and prevent erosion. After the coco mats were set in place, seedlings were planted on the slopes to hold the soil.
Shella Sarmiento, Landco marketing manager for the Visayas and Mindanao, said the revocation of the project’s permit did not affect the sales of lots in Monterazzas de Cebu.
In May, a month after the landslide, Sarmiento said the sales were “very good.”
“When our customers go to the site, they can see that we are complying (with the conditions of the Mayor),” she said.
She added that most of the buyers also understand the company’s plight as it was an “unfortunate incident” that “we did not mean to” happen.
At present, 50 percent of the lots located at the property’s peak and another 60 percent of lots in the Northridge—located in the middle of the project—have already been sold.
Sarmiento also observed that 50 percent of the project’s Cebu-based buyers paid in cash. For this month, though, most of the inquiries about the project were from balikbayans (overseas-based Filipinos who visit the Philippines).
Although the months of June to August are considered “lean months,” Sarmiento said the company still received a “sustained” number of sales.
Landco announced, though, that in two to three months, it will have adjust its rates by 15 to 20 percent. (DME)
