CEBU City is moving to urgently revise its nearly 30-year-old zoning ordinance to integrate its Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Clup) — a crucial step that officials said will guide the city’s development and unlock significant investment and funding opportunities.
Outgoing Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, the main author of the proposed revision, said Zoning Ordinance 1656 has never fully incorporated the Clup, despite several amendments.
During a session on June 11, 2025, Pesquera noted that while the council approved the Clup in 2006, only its map and classification were adopted, leaving its implementation vague. This discrepancy led the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DSHUD) to consider Cebu City as not having an approved Clup.
Pesquera said the City Planning Office developed a new Clup in 2024, which has since received DSHUD approval.
“Considering that the DSHUD already approved the Clup, it is imperative for the City Council to make the necessary amendments to the Zoning Ordinance so as to be able to incorporate the necessary regulations,” Pesquera said.
Ann Marie Cuizon, Assistant Head of the City Planning and Development Office, echoed the urgency. She said the Clup guides land development for the next 10 to 20 years.
“If a city has no Clup, it loses significant opportunities in urban development, investment attraction and good governance,” she said, adding that failing to update the plan means losing opportunities for environmental protection and could lead to
uncontrolled development.
Financial repercussions
Cuizon also highlighted severe financial repercussions. These include funding denial from national agencies and the inability to secure loans from international organizations like the World Bank, all of which require an updated Clup.
During the discussion, Pesquera questioned height limitations for barangay buildings. Cuizon explained the revision includes such restrictions to conform to the National Building Code. Existing non-conforming buildings would be acknowledged, but any expansion would require compliance.
A point of contention arose over socialized housing zones, which Cuizon said still awaited DSHUD approval. Pesquera reminded Cuizon that the City Council has the authority to enact ordinances without DSHUD’s consent.
Oscar Labrador, president of the National Real Estate Association’s Metro Cebu chapter, recommended stronger upland and watershed
protection zoning.
Meanwhile, Anna Marie Ariosa of the Carbon Market Vendors’ Association appealed for the deliberation to be deferred until the new administration assumes office. Pesquera dismissed this as an “insult to the current council,” noting it was mayor-elect Nestor Archival’s request to approve the Clup before the transition.
A private architect noted the city’s rivers were overlooked in the current ordinance.
Due to time constraints, Pesquera conceded it was not prudent to pursue approval within the current council’s term, which ends on June 30, 2025.
“I am willing to turnover to whoever would wish to sponsor this in the next Sanggunian,” she said, indicating the revision will be a priority for the incoming City Council. / JPS