A PRIVATE firm has proposed the development of two information technology (IT) parks in Cebu City, which could create jobs for at least 15,000 employees once completed.
During the Cebu City Council’s executive session on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, Stephanie Lopez, resident manager of Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC), presented its plans to establish two IT parks: one along Pope John Paul II Avenue in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City and another along the Cebu South Coastal Road in the South Road Properties (SRP).
Lopez said RLC plans to develop the two projects in the next three to five years.
She said the one in Mabolo will accommodate at least 30,000 square meters of office spaces with 22 floors, while the one in SRP will provide 50,000 square meters of office spaces with 17 floors.
She said the Mabolo IT Park will stand on a 3,171- square-meter lot while the Robinsons SRP IT Park will stand on a 30,000-square-meter lot. The two projects are intended for business process outsourcing (BPO) firms.
RLC owns a three-hectare lot in the SRP, across Nustar Resort and Casino.
In an interview on Wednesday, Cebu City Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, chairman of the committee on tourism, said the projects are advantageous because these could boost the economy of the city.
Pesquera said Cebuanos will no longer need to go abroad to get jobs, emphasizing that the projects present assured job opportunities for fresh graduates.
During the session, Cebu City Councilor Jerry Guardo, chairman of the committee on infrastructure, asked about the total area that the buildings for the two projects would occupy, and if drainage systems were already incorporated.
Engineer Solomon Poro II, RLC project management team head, said the Mabolo project will occupy only 2,100 square meters, while the SRP project will occupy 4,600 square meters. He said drainage systems are already included in the detailed engineering designs.
Lopez said both projects will be registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) to increase their attractiveness to multinational companies.
She added that as part of its sustainability efforts, both projects would also be registered with green building certifications, which may include Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (Edge) or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Leed).
Pesquera reminded the property firm’s officials that they must comply with the City’s ordinance pertaining to water retention ponds, saying no water should go out from the property.
Peza listed 35 IT parks, buildings and centers operating in Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu cities combined as of 2017.