Mindanaotoday.com | Oro residents slam housing ‘megaproject’ plan
By: Franck Dick Rosete
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – An association of homeowners in the uptown area of this city is asking the current city council to repeal City Ordinance No. 14256-2022 that changed the zoning of the area beside Morning Mist Village (MVV), where the “mega project” will be built, as they alleged that the passage of the said ordinance had been “rushed.”
Arthur Aranas, president of the MVV Homeowners Association (HOA), made the call following their recent protest, opposing the Masterson Mile Towers Project of the Pueblo de Oro Development Corporation, which will consist of five 24- to 26-story buildings.
“It [referring to the said city ordinance] was done in 53 seconds without second reading; without final reading,” Aranas said in a phone interview.
The City Ordinance No. 14256-2022, rezoning the land use of Lot-1 PCS-10-002317 PCS-10-003135 (Site of the Pueblo de Oro Business Park and Masterson Mile North) located along Masterson Avenue in Barangay Carmen, this city, with an area of 256,620 square meters from “Medium Density Commercial Zone (C-2)” to “High-Density Commercial Zone (C-3),” was approved by the previous city council.
The homeowners claimed that they were not informed about the project, saying that they only found out when they attended a public hearing in Barangay Carmen Hall on March 24 this year.
The project’s plan, according to Aranas, has been in place since October last year.
A letter has been sent by Aranas to the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development’s (DHSUD) regional office here on April 3, 2023, inquiring if the agency was informed about the zoning ordinance from the city.
Aranas showed the response letter from DHSUD-10, signed by its regional director Ariel Abragan, saying that they “have not received the said rezoning nor reclassification application from the LGU (local government unit) of Cagayan de Oro City, despite the resolution of its approval.”
The said association also got a certified true copy of the subdivision plan of the Morning Mist Village from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-10 (DENR-10), where the area of the Masterson Mile Towers Project, Aranas said, is allegedly under their village’s jurisdiction.
Councilor Edgar Cabanlas said the council’s committee on landed estate and subdivision already had a discussion with the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) and City Legal Office to suspend the reclassification from C2 to C3 on Monday, May 1.
This is also to consolidate Pueblo de Oro’s request for the ongoing revision of the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan and Zoning Ordinance for 2023.
“Before they [Pueblo de Oro] can make a hole in the area, they have to undergo a lot of processes, applications, and permits, even one of which they don’t have yet,” Cabanlas said in an interview on Thursday, April 27, clarifying that the city’s reclassification is not yet final and has to be reviewed, approved, and authenticated by the Housing Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB).
The city legislator also responded to the allegation and said that the previous city council had approved City Ordinance No. 14256-2022, following the recommendation from CPDO.
The homeowners of the Morning Mist Village have clarified that they are not against development and progress but instead call for responsible development, stressing the need to fix the problems first in their area in terms of traffic, peace, and order, among others.
“Kung maghimo lang kag project diha ug mo-ingon ka nga bahala nang traffic dinha mag-riot na sila, unsa man tawag nimo, (If you build a project there and you let the traffic ramble, what do you call that) progress? Progress is not unanimous with chaos,” Aranas said.
The Mindanao Today went to the office of the Pueblo de Oro Development Corporation on Wednesday, April 26, to get their side. However, according to the security personnel, the general manager was not around, but the said company assured that they would immediately release if a statement was issued.
The MMVHOA, during its peaceful protest on April 22, was supported by the Federation of Uptown Village and Homeowners Association Inc. (FUVHOA), which comprises 16 village subdivisions in this city, as well as the Concerned Parents, Teachers, Alumni, and Communities of XU.
Aranas said they will forget everything if the current city council repeals the ordinance, or else they will be forced to raise their complaints to the Office of the Ombudsman. (MT)
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