House committee OK’s Mega Cebu Development Authority creation

CEBU CITY – A measure proposing the creation of a “Mega Cebu Development Authority” has been approved at the committee level of the House of Representatives.

The Lower House’s Committee on Government Enterprises and Privatization approved HB 6227, or “An Act Creating the Mega Cebu Development Authority, Prescribing Its Powers, Functions, and Duties, Providing Funds Therefore, and for other purposes.”

The proposed bill was filed last October 9, 2015 by principal author, Cebu City North District Rep. Raul del Mar; along with co- authors Reps. Luigi Quisumbing (6th District, Cebu), Joseph Durano ( 5th District, Cebu), Gerald Anthony Gullas (1st District, Cebu), Rodrigo Abellanosa ( 2nd District, Cebu), Aileen Radaza ( Lone District, Lapu-Lapu City), Gwendolyn Garcia ( 3rd District, Cebu), Benhur Salimbangon (4th District, Cebu), and Wilfredo Caminero ( 2nd District, Cebu).

The meeting with the committee served as venue for invited repre- sentatives and agencies to present their views on the proposed bill.

In a presentation, Dionisio Ledres, Jr., Assistant Regional Director of the National Economic Development Authority in Central Visayas (NEDA-7) said the NEDA supports the creation of the MCDA which would oversee development efforts and initiatives dealing with the challenges and problems confronting Metro Cebu.

“The role of metropolitan centers,” according to Ledres, “is key in driving economic growth, generating jobs, driving trade and commerce, as well as attracting new investments.”

For her part, Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board – Research, Program and Organizational Development ( MCDCBRPOD) representative Evelyn Nacario- Castro said, “This is an important milestone for the bill. This means we are one step closer in the creation of the MCDA.”

However, she clarified that HB 6227 still has some distance to go before the authority can be actually created. For instance, she noted, a counterpart bill will first have to be presented at the Senate level.

Meanwhile, Castro said HB 6227 received favorable feedback upon its approval, noting Rep. Guanlao’s interest in co-authoring the bill.

The MCDA covers the core metropolitan area encompassing the highly urbanized cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu and the cities of Danao, Talisay, Naga, and Carcar as well as the municipalities of Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela, Cordova, Minglanilla, and San Fernando.

Functions of the MCDA include the formulation, coordination, regulation, and monitoring of short, medium, and long-term plans, policies, and programs for the sustainable development and integration of the Metropolitan Cebu area.

These programs include the delivery of multi-local government unit ( LGU) or metropolitan wide services, land use, spatial and physical development using strong, coherent governing values and shared vision, with focus on integrated systems for urban development.

The Mega Cebu platform is a consortium of government, private and civil society sector stakeholders that envisions sustained urban growth in Metro Cebu up to 2050.