A GROUP of business owners is building a mountain resort in Balamban.
Publicly listed Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) told the local bourse Friday, Oct. 28, 2022 that it is developing the 21-hectare MagsPeak Mountain Resort and Villas in Balamban, Cebu.
This project is a joint venture between CLI and MagsPeak Nature Park Inc. composed of Cebuano businessmen and fellow Caminoans, Bob Gothong, Segundino Selma Jr., Richard Ray King and Douglas Gacasan.
Opening in 2025, the resort will comprise 13 exclusive mountain villas and 20 hotel rooms highlighting views of the Balamban mountain landscape and western Cebu seascape.
Its amenities include a clubhouse, heated infinity pools, and a farm-to-table restaurant.
CLI said MagSpeak is set to provide local and foreign tourists with a unique mountain resort experience with outdoor, religious and leisure offerings.
Pilgrim walk
CLI said MagsPeak will be one of the start points of the “Camino de Cebu” trail favored by pilgrims expressing their religious devotion.
The MagsPeak to Compostela pilgrim trail is a 42-kilometer route traversing the mountainside of Manunggal Balamban down to the Municipality of Compostela, whose patron, St. James the Apostle, is also a featured saint in the MagsPeak chapel.
The “Camino de Cebu” is based on the traditional “Camino of Spain” which is composed of several trails that converge on the city of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.
MagsPeak devotees can further immerse in a spiritual retreat inside the Our Lady of the Pillar Chapel which overlooks the mountains, or contemplate the 20 stations along the 800-meter-long Rosary Walk, or meditate quietly at the Pieta in a garden inspired by Michelangelo, or do penance by climbing the 14 stations of the Way of the Cross from the entrance to the top of MagsPeak.
“We believe MagsPeak will further enhance the variety of tourist attractions in Cebu and the Visayas. It is our way of strategically anticipating the rebound of tourism in our country and also providing a sanctuary for those seeking spiritual retreat,” said Jose Soberano III, chairman and chief executive officer of CLI.
The mountain resort project joins CLI’s pipeline of hospitality projects now including 10 hotels and resorts in the Visayas and Mindanao with a total of over 1,700 room keys upon completion.
MagSpeak will be managed by CLI’s Hospitality arm, CLI Hotels & Resorts.
Moreover, CLI said the mountain resort will be built with sustainability integral to its development. It will showcase eco-friendly initiatives and outdoor programs such as hiking trails, camping facilities and other child-friendly activities surrounded by nature.
The development’s master plan also fosters environmental conservation and integrates efficient green practices through tree reforestation programs such as planting of thousands of endemic trees prior to construction activities, and a solar-powered water retention system promoting a sustainable and responsible development. /