IN a bid to safeguard the ecological heritage of their city, environmentally-conscious citizens of Cagayan de Oro, along with Concerned Parents, Teachers, Alumni, and Community (Coptac) and First Community Cooperative (Ficco), are gearing up for a prayer rally slated for April 9.
The rally aims to draw attention to the imminent sale of approximately six to eight hectares of Xavier University’s (XU) main campus, as well as 14 out of the 68 hectares of the XU Manresa Farm, which are slated for conversion into a commercial complex, according to Dr. Anselmo Mercado, Coptac chairman.
“We have a crusade, an advocacy, to preserve the Xavier University main campus on Corrales Avenue. We also want to preserve the Manresa Farm, which is a legacy of Fr. William Masterson to his agricultural college,” Mercado said.
“We want to preserve this because there is a project in Xavier University that they plan to sell to a commercial company, which will then build a commercial complex. We don’t want this to happen, but we also want Xavier University to flourish without selling off campuses that are crucial to our city,” Mercado added.
Environmental advocate Orlan Ravanera echoed Mercado’s sentiments, denouncing the sale as a prioritization of profit over environmental and cultural heritage.
“It appears that in this sale, what has prevailed is the rule of power, the rule of money. Because I heard it’s about P5 billion. The problem is the loss of cultural heritage. Why are they not adhering to the Environmental Compliance Certificate? They should not just cut trees; they should follow environmental regulations,” Ravanera said.
“We should not sacrifice Mother Earth on the altar of greed and profit, as explained by Pope Francis in his Laudato Si’,” added Ravanera.
The sale of Manresa Farm, once the battleground against logging trucks in the late 1990s, now poses a threat to the very forest they fought to protect.
The potential commercial development would require clearing trees from the mini-forest, exacerbating flood and landslide risks for nearly 5,000 households in lower Balulang, according to former Barangay Chair Alfredo Carcosa.
“We, residents of Barangay Balulang directly affected by Cebu Landmasters, Inc’s project, are situated right beneath Manresa. We hope they will manage the drainage down to the waterways of Cagayan de Oro. Landslides may occur, burying us under the soil of Manresa,” Carcosa said.
The mini-forest of Manresa plays a critical role as a natural barrier, shielding lower Balulang from the threats of floods and landslides. Additionally, the Southeast Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute (Searsolin), a research and social outreach unit of XU, located within Manresa Farm, holds significant historical and educational value.
As the city’s residents brace themselves for the rally, their unified message is clear: preserving Xavier University’s natural legacy is paramount, even amid the pressures of urban development.
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