THE site development of the eight-hectare socialized housing for government employees of the Cebu Provincial Government and the Municipality of Minglanilla will kick off in August.
Seventyseven Living Spaces Inc., the private contractor of the Tunghaan Minglanilla Subdivision Project, will begin the ground works next month or in September following the successful groundbreaking of the project that took place Friday, July 30, 2021.
The developer is still waiting for the release of the land development permit from Minglanilla to proceed with the ground works.
The property, owned by Cebu Province, will be developed in three phases. Each phase may take at least one and a half year to be developed.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, Minglanilla Mayor Elanito Peña, Seventyseven Living Spaces Inc. chief operating officer Gionmaar Navaja and other provincial and municipal officials led the groundbreaking activity in Purok Gawad Kalinga, Barangay Tunghaan, Minglanilla.
In his speech, del Rosario said the upcoming socialized subdivision project can be likened to a middle-end subdivision because the site development alone would cost P111 million with complete amenities, like drainage system and road network, among others, that is comparable to other high-quality subdivision developments in the country.
The project stands to benefit 902 employees of Cebu Province and Minglanilla. A socialized housing unit now costs P580,000.
According to the memorandum of agreement signed early this month, the Capitol will identify the project’s beneficiaries and submit the list to DHSUD, the central housing authority of the country that absorbed the functions and duties of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board.
Garcia’s chief-of-staff Frank Dinsay said the project is part of Garcia’s long-term vision that is to provide decent and affordable homes to Cebuanos, including provincial employees.
“This project is another step forward in the right direction towards the recovery of Cebu and may I borrow the words of Gov. Gwen, because Cebu is moving on, moving forward and soaring,” said Dinsay.
Meanwhile, Navaja said the Tunghaan Minglanilla Subdivision Project is the group’s first socialized housing venture in Cebu done to comply with the Balance Housing Act, which requires owners and/or developers of proposed subdivision and condominium projects to develop an area for socialized housing, at the option of the developer, equivalent to at least 15 percent of the total subdivision area or subdivision project cost.
Most of SeventySeven’s socialized housing projects are in Negros. The company has three mid-market housing projects in Cebu with over 1,000 units completed for duplex and single-type houses. (KOC)